Forever (May Not Be Long Enough)
by Lady Dudley
Summary: Sequel to 'Back To You,' Season 6 AU with a Paric spin.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, here is the sequel to 'Back To You' my Season 5 AU which you will need to have read for this to make _any_ sense. Sorry. The first part of this chapter is the epilogue to 'Back To You,' just to keep it within the realms of my 'canon' :P The title is from the song of the same name that always makes me think of Paric. Anyways, hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

_**Forever (May Not Be Long Enough)**_

Hours later, Nora sat in the back corner of the transport container where they had taken refuge after escaping from the Authority Headquarters.

Jason stood guard by the entrance with Sookie watching as Molly attempted to rig up an early warning system using her phone and what looked like a hairpin. Jessica had collapsed early on, curled up in a ball near Eric and Pam.

Pam had kept an eye on the younger vampire until she'd sunk into oblivion and then her attention had been entirely taken up by her Maker.

For her part, Nora had spent her time since their taking up residence in the container concentrating on healing and trying not to be too open in her scrutiny of her brother and his child.

She felt an unfamiliar twinge of jealousy as she watched him administer his own blood to her wounds in an attempt to speed up the healing process, whispering words of comfort in his native tongue.

It had been a long time since she'd spoken Swedish and he was speaking in low tones so she could only pick up bits and pieces of what he was saying, mostly just generic expressions of comfort.

Then he had said it.

_nämen älskling_.

In all their time together he had used many different terms of endearment, in many different languages, but he'd never used his native tongue. His use of it now underscored what he had told her only hours before, Pam was his _everything._

Oh, she'd known that he meant it when he'd hissed it in her face after she'd dared to malign his child, but knowing it and seeing it where two very different things.

No wonder he'd always taken such pains to keep them apart, despite him always citing wanting to keep Pam out of vampire politics, she knew that there was also a part of him that didn't want to hurt her. That didn't want to prove what she had long suspected: no matter how much he might love her, he loved his child more.

His bond with Pam was stronger than her bond with him had even been, possibly even stronger than what he had shared with Godric.

She watched as he cradled Pam against his chest, the gentleness of the action belied by the sternness of his tone as he ordered her to rest. She missed whatever retort Pam had shot back in reply, but she didn't miss the indulgent smile that spread across his face in response.

Nora settled down to rest, still watching the pair out of the corner of her eye, and smiled sadly when she caught sight of Eric dropping a kiss on the now sleeping Pam's forehead.

He'd never looked at her with that much affection before and now she knew that he never would.

But that was ok; he was still her brother and, really, that was enough.

The peace was broken as Jessica suddenly contorted in pain, her eyes snapped open as she got unwillingly to her feet.

"Jessica?" Eric asked, as Pam stirred in his arms, she sat up in one swift motion as she caught sight of the younger vampire.

"Bill is summoning me," Jessica explained, sounding frightened as she started towards the door to the storage container.

"Where is he?" Nora asked as they all got to their feet, following her.

"I don't know, but my body sure does," Jessica replied, "if he's pulling me, maybe he's still Bill," she added hopefully.

"Will someone please stop her?" Sookie asked, concerned.

Eric was in front of her in the next moment, stopping her forward motion by placing his hands on her shoulders. Jessica resisted his attempts to restrain her, before her body convulsed and she vomited blood all over him.

"Charming," Eric deadpanned.

"What's happening to her?" Molly asked, looking concerned as Jessica dropped to her knees in front of Eric, still vomiting blood.

"I've never seen anything like it," Eric murmured, watching with concern as Jessica's body convulsed and she vomited again.

Pam dropped to her knees beside the younger vampire, "Let her go," she said placing a tentative hand on Jessica's shoulder.

"We can't," Nora said flatly, "Lilith incarnate will bring death and destruction to humans _and_ vampires."

Eric looked torn as Jessica rolled onto her back, crying out in agony.

"He's ripping her apart!" Pam spat, flinching as Jessica let out an agonised scream.

"We have to take her to Bill," Sookie said decisively as Jessica continued to writhe in agony on the ground.

"Whatever Bill is, he's not worth dying for," Nora said, the coldness of her response belied by the compassion in her eyes as she watched Jessica struggle.

Pam shot a hateful look at Nora over her shoulder before looking up at Eric, "For once Tinkerbell is right," she growled, "and I am taking her to Bill with or without your help."

Jessica clutched Eric's leg and emitted another scream of agony, Eric ignored her as he searched Pam's face intently.

He stepped aside.

"We'll be right behind you," he promised, Pam gave him a brief nod as she helped Jessica to her feet.

"Are you insane?" Nora asked as Molly opened the door for Pam and Jessica.

"You don't have to come with me," Eric told her, moving to follow the other vampires.

Nora made noise somewhere between frustration and resignation, "I'm coming with you," she said, following him.

"Me too," Molly insisted, stopping short as Eric blocked her path.

"No, I want you to take Sookie and Jason home," he told her, ignoring Jason's protests, "we'll meet you back at Fangtasia."

Molly narrowed her eyes, but thought the better of protesting and nodded.

Eric nodded once before he and Nora took to the sky.


	2. Chapter 2

Pam narrowed her eyes as she carefully made her way through Bill's deserted mansion. At least, it _appeared_ to be deserted, but Jessica wouldn't have brought them here if Bill wasn't somewhere nearby.

She glanced briefly over her shoulder to look at the younger vampire, who looked absolutely terrified.

Pam attempted to give her a reassuring smile before they stepped out onto the back porch, both vampires jumped as they caught sight of Bill.

"Stay where you are," Pam ordered, holding up her stake as he stood up and took a step towards them.

"I just want to talk," he assured them, before his head snapped to the side.

Before the other two vampires could even blink he'd thrown Nora to the side and had Eric pinned against a post by the throat. Pam watched as the two grappled for supremacy in what should have been an easy contest for Eric, the much older vampire.

Her eyes widened as it looked like Bill was about to get the upper hand, without even pausing to think she staked Bill.

Nothing happened.

She stepped back in shock as Bill released Eric and slowly pulled the stake out of his body. He looked over at her and retracted his fangs, tossing the stake carelessly to the side.

"Now can we talk?" he asked drily.

The other vampires watched him warily as he moved so that he was facing them, off to the side Nora got to her feet and gave him a wide berth as she came to stand near Eric.

"I brought you here so that you can see for yourselves, I'm not a monster," he told the seriously.

Pam bit back a derisive snort as she remembered his method of 'calling' Jessica.

"But if you force me to defend myself again," he continued, looking over at Pam, "you will be sorry," he promised.

Eric gave a small growl of warning that Bill chose to ignore as Nora took a small step forward, "What are you?" she asked, "Are you Lilith?"

He turned to face her, "I am Bill Compton," he assured her, "but clearly, I am something _more_. I see that now, I see everything differently now," he added, looking at each of them in turn. "The fear in your eyes," he continued, looking at Jessica, "I know I put that there," he stepped towards her, "but I promise you that the man who did that to you, is gone."

"Bullshit," Pam spat, blocking his view of Jessica.

"Pam," Eric admonished her, glancing at Bill.

"No, I don't believe him," she said, holding her chin up defiantly as she regarded him, "Bill Compton was a pompous little prick and you are just the same." She glared at him, "Stay away from Jessica."

"No," Jessica said quietly, "I don't want him too," she continued, putting her stake down and walking towards him, "he's my Maker."

"Cheeto-"

"No, you don't understand," Jessica insisted, cutting her off, "none of you do, all you want to do is kill him and ask questions later." She broke off with a sob as she turned to Pam, "He's my _Maker_ and you tried to kill him…" she took a deep unnecessary breath, "I'm grateful for everything you've done for me but please, just go."

Pam narrowed her eyes as she regarded her, Jessica gave her a small smile, "I'll be ok," she assured her softly.

"You heard her," Bill said, before Pam could respond, "get out."

Eric took the hint as the ground started to shake; taking a firm hold on Nora and Pam, he led them off the porch.

"If he hurts her, I'll kill him," Pam growled, looking back over her shoulder as Eric dragged her away.

"God help us if you ever have progeny of your own," Eric muttered, Pam pulled a face at him.


	3. Chapter 3

Molly sighed as she sat down at the bar at Fangtasia, taking the Stackhouses back home had been much harder than she'd thought.

Sookie had been all right, but Jason had been determined not to be escorted home by a vampire and had struck out on his own. In the end she'd let him go, recognising that – with her fairy blood – Sookie would be in more danger anyway.

At least it was all over now and she just had to wait for the others to get back.

She jumped as someone banged on the door, she bit her lip as she looked around the empty bar. What was she supposed to do?

"Uh…we're closed!" she called out, praying they'd go away.

There was a brief pause and then someone knocked again, she rolled her eyes.

"I said, we're closed!"

She jumped to her feet as the door suddenly burst open and half a dozen armed guards rushed into the room.

"Are you Pamela Swynford-de Beaufort?" the head guard asked.

She blinked, "Who?"

"Don't play games with us, fanger," the guard warned her, "where's Pamela Swynford-de Beaufort?"

Molly looked flustered as she tried to ignore the green targeting dots dancing about on her chest. "Let's just take a moment here," she said, holding her hands up in a placating gesture as she took a step towards them.

"Back off!" the guard ordered, adjusting his hold on his weapon.

"Wha-?"

"On your knees, _now_, vamper," he ordered.

Molly looked a little bewildered as she did as she was told, "By order of the Governor of Louisiana, all vampire businesses are to be shut down," the guard continued, handing her a piece of paper.

Molly glanced at the official looking document, "Ok…I'll be sure to let her know," she said, uncertainly.

"See that you do," the guard said as they started to slowly back out of the bar.

Molly started to get to her feet, an action that was misinterpreted by one of the guards who shouted out a warning to the rest of the team before firing. Molly let out an agonised cry as the bullet knocked her to the ground.

Dimly she heard the guards leave the bar as she curled in on herself with the pain, "Cowards," she whimpered.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This chapter isn't word for word and may contain mistakes, just so you know. Sorry.**

Jessica absently plaited her hair, thinking over the evening's events and marvelling at the fact that she was once again safely in her own bed.

She paused and glanced at the door, assuming her Maker really hadn't turned into a crazy psychopath.

_Speak of the devil_, she thought as he knocked her door.

"May I come in?" he asked politely.

Jessica hesitated and switched off her light.

"I found some Tru Blood in the pantry," he continued in the same polite tone, "I thought you might like some."

Jessica glanced at the door, "Did you warm it?"

"Of course," he replied, opening the door and coming.

Jessica fiddled with her blankets, trying not to betray her nervousness as he handed her the glass. She took a deep sip as he carefully took a seat on the edge of her bed, "Do you feel better?" he asked gently.

"Yeah, it tastes a lot less like aspirin when you remember it's in short supply," she joked, trying to ease some of the tension. It wasn't especially funny, but he smiled at her attempt anyway.

"Like so many other things in life," he agreed.

Jessica eyed him warily as she went to put her glass on the bedside table, it slipped and she watched – half fascinated, half horrified – as Bill stopped the glass and its contents in mid-air, replacing it on the table.

"Did you know you could do that?" she asked after a long moment.

Bill shook his head slightly, "No, I did not."

"When you summoned me, Bill, you almost tore me apart," she began softly.

"I promise you, I won't-"

"Please don't," she begged, holding up a hand to stop him, "I want you to hear me," she continued as he stood up, "when we left you at the Authority that was _not_ Bill Compton that we were leaving. You were a f*cking monster," she breathed, "when your call led me here I had no idea what I was going to find, no idea what I was walking into and I still don't."

"Now may I talk?" he asked gently.

"If you have any answers."

"I don't, Jess, I don't know what I am, I don't know _why_ I am," he paused, "which is why I need you, now more than ever."

Jessica looked away, trying not to be affected by his words, "What can I do?"

Bill suddenly looked weary and resumed his seat on the edge of her bed, "In my human life I told you I was a solider, right?"

"During the Civil War."

Bill nodded, "During the war, there was this Major-General who went by the name of William Sherman."

"Yeah," Jessica interrupted softly, "I learned a little about him," she moved so that she was sitting behind him, "people said he was crazy."

"By all accounts he started out as a good man," Bill told her, "he hated war and advised against it as loudly and as often as he could. But as the years passed and he grew more and more powerful, his fighting became uglier, dirtier and bloodier than any of his contemporaries." He shifted so that he was facing her, "I believe it was that power that turned him bad."

"Now you are the one who has powers," Jessica said slowly.

"Powers I don't even understand," he agreed, looking lost, "I need you to keep me honest, to tell it to me as it is." He paused, "Because surviving a staking is some heady f*cking shit," he continued with a grin, "you're the only one I can trust," he finished, becoming serious once more.

Jessica smiled at him, "I can do that for you, but you're not going to like it when I do."

"I'll know it's for my own good," he assured her.

Jessica hesitated for a brief moment, before impulsively throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. She blinked back tears as he hugged her back.

"I'm really f*cking tired," she said finally, pulling out of his embrace.

Bill smiled at her, "I understand," he said quietly, moving to tuck her in. "Good night Jess," he murmured, smoothing her hair off her face, "don't let the bed bugs bite," he teased.

She bit back a laugh, "Good night Bill," she said with a smile, snuggling into the pillows.

Bill turned off her light as made his way out of her room. He paused briefly in the doorway and watched her for a few moments before leaving the room.


	5. Chapter 5

An agonised scream ripped through the air, causing Eric to drop his hold on Nora and Pam as he rushed into Fangtasia. He stopped short at the sight of Molly writhing on the floor.

"What happened?" he asked, rushing to her side.

"They shot me…I can't…I'm not healing," she moaned, clutching her side.

Nora and Pam materialised beside him on the floor, "What the f*ck is that?" Pam demanded as Eric pulled Molly's hand away, revealing the glowing hole in her side.

"The humans have new weapons," Molly gasped, "I can't get it out," she whimpered.

Eric tried to pull it out himself, hissing in pain as the bullet burnt his fingers; he looked around and spotted a bottle.

"What are you doing?" Nora asked as he broke the end off.

"I'm getting it out of her," he glanced at Pam, "hold her still."

Nora and Pam both held Molly down as Eric used the broken bottle to scoop the bullet out of her wound, wincing in sympathy as she let out an agonised scream.

"Well?" Nora prompted as Eric regarded the bullet.

"It's a silver bullet that emits UV light," Eric replied absently as he examined it.

"That's f*cking brilliant," Molly murmured, still breathing heavily.

"Geek," Eric admonished her, half-indulgently as he dropped the bullet into a glass; Molly pulled a face at him.

"Where did they get them from?" Pam asked, peering into the glass.

"General Cavanaugh said they were developing new weapons," Nora said, looking accusingly at Eric.

Pam frowned, "What General?"

"The General I killed," Eric explained, getting to his feet thoughtfully.

"He f*cking did it," Nora said in wonder, shaking her head, "the humans are fighting back."

"Well what did you expect?" Pam spat, helping Molly to sit up, "That they'd just lie there and take it?"

"Well they've never fought back before, have they?" Nora countered.

Pam rolled her eyes, "We had f*cking Tru Blood to keep the peace," she continued, ignoring Nora's scoff as she stood up, "now the Tru Blood's gone vampires are screwed."

Nora looked down at her with her hands on her hips, "I'm not scared of them."

"I have never been either," Pam retorted, "but that was before I saw your new friend baking like a rotisserie." She paused, "Maybe we should be scared," she added, glancing over at Eric as he turned around, "there's more of them than us and they're pissed and now they have new weapons. And _you_," she continued, getting to her feet glaring at Nora, "and your f*cking Authority cronies screwed us over."

"I'm sorry that you're scared," Nora shot back, "but Eric and I have more important things to deal with like the fallout from killing a vampire _god_."

Whatever response Pam was about to make was cut off as Eric suddenly threw the glass containing the bullet across the room. It narrowly missed Molly who was still sitting on the floor, looking a little dazed, as it smashed against the bar.

"If the humans want war, then we'll give them war," he said with forced calmness. "Scour through the vampire bible, find out what kind of monster Bill is," he ordered, turning to Nora.

"I've already been through it backwards and forwards and-" she began.

"DO IT AGAIN!" he bellowed, making the others jump, he towered over her, "And if you _ever_ talk down to my Child like that again, I'll rip your f*cking head off."

Nora nodded mutely, lowering her gaze as he moved over to Pam, "As for you, Nora is your elder, try and show a little more respect," he hissed, kissing her brusquely on the forehead as he walked off.

He paused in the doorway and looked back at them, "Oh, and Molly is family now too so be nice to her."

"Where are you going?" Nora asked, Eric ignored her question and disappeared into the night.

"F*cking asshole," Nora muttered, Pam resisted the urge to smile as she moved to help Molly to her feet.


	6. Chapter 6

Jessica woke to the sound of tortured screams, it took her a moment to orientate herself and less than that to realise the screams were coming from Bill.

She was down the stairs and in his study before she could even think.

"I can feel them," Bill told her desperately, pacing the room in agitation, "I can feel all of them, all of their pain, all of the vampires!"

Jessica tried desperately intercept him as he continued to pace, "Ok, I need you to help me," she said desperately, "because I don't know how to help you…"

"They're whipping her with chains and she can't get away," Bill sobbed.

"Bill, I don't understand," Jessica murmured, trying her best to make sense of his ramblings.

"There's another one," he continued, looking at something she couldn't see, "…and they grabbed him."

"Who?"

"He's going to burn," Bill whispered, reaching out a hand, before suddenly drawing it back in pain. "They're dragging him behind a truck and they're _laughing_," he said, turning back to look at her, his face stained with bloody tears.

"Where?"

"On a road and I _can't help them_," he said desperately, falling onto his knees.

Jessica did her best to cradle him in her arms, "No, no, no," she repeated desperately, "Bill what the_ f*ck_? Bill?" she added as she got no response. She lifted him into a chair and took in his catatonic state, "Bill?" she said again, giving him a shake. "Bill, I need you to come back to me," she said desperately, bunching the front of his shirt in her hands and sobbing, "Bill, wake up…!"

He continued to stare at her blankly as she continued to shake him in a fruitless attempt to snap him out of his trance.

"Bill, please…" she whispered, stopping her attempts and sitting back on her heels.

She covered her face with her hands, what was she supposed to do?


	7. Chapter 7

Pam regarded the carton of blood sitting on the bar suspiciously.

"Your human dropped it off a few hours ago," Nora said absently, still flicking though the vampire bible.

Pam nodded and sniffed it, "Have you had some?" she asked Molly who was sitting nearby, tinkering with a phone.

"I'm not hungry," she replied.

Pam raised an eyebrow, "Like hell you aren't," she retorted, "you're still healing," she reminded her, putting the carton down in front of her, "drink," she ordered.

Molly glanced up at her, "What about you?"

"I'm a big girl," Pam drawled, "I'll survive."

Molly glanced at Nora, before taking the carton.

"You should drink some too, you might need it," Nora commented, still flicking through the pages of the bible.

"Who died and made you my Maker?" Pam snapped, "I don't take orders from you."

"Eric always said you were stubborn," Nora muttered.

Pam narrowed her eyes, "He never said a word about you."

This time Nora looked up and was about to reply when the sound of Pam's phone ringing cut her off; turning her back on Nora, Pam answered.

"_Thank God,"_ Jessica gushed sounding relieved, _"Bill was having some kind of nightmare or something even more real than that, but he couldn't wake up from it,_" she explained in a rush._ "And he just…passed out with his eyes _wide_ open, I mean, what the _f*ck_ – have you ever seen anything like this? I mean, is he sick?"_ she continued, without waiting for Pam to reply._ "Or maybe he's having that thing Terry Bellfleur has…P…T…PTSD or something? Or maybe he's just hungry…yeah, maybe he just needs a pick me up."_ She sniffled, _"I need to find him some food…"_ she mumbled, before hanging up.

Pam hit the redial button, cursing as she went straight to voicemail.

"Where are you going?" Nora called out as she strode towards the door.

"Out," Pam spat over her shoulder, only to come to an abrupt halt as Nora appeared in front of her, blocking the exit.

"No you're not," Nora told her, "there's something I need to verify and I need you to stay here so that you can tell Eric where I've gone."

"Tell him yourself," Pam replied, attempting to get passed her.

Nora blocked her again, "Look, I get it," Nora snapped, "you don't like me and, quite frankly, I don't like you all that much either. But Eric loves you, you know? The only reason he never told you he had a sister inside the authority is because that knowledge could have gotten you killed," she explained, moving to block Pam as she made another attempt to leave, "but I knew of you. He spoke of you often and fondly. You're what he's most proud of."

"Jessica might be in trouble," Pam said after a moment, trying not to be affected by Nora's speech.

"And I'm sorry for that," Nora replied, "but right now, we're _all_ in trouble and Eric would never forgive me if I let you walk out of here."

Pam gave a sullen nod as she stepped back, watching as Nora disappeared into the night.

The tense silence that followed Nora's departure was broken by the sound of Molly zapping herself, followed by a stream of words Pam never would have expected the younger vampire to know.

...

**A/N: Jessica's phone call is taken from her 'Vlog' in case you were wondering...**


	8. Chapter 8

Eric narrowed his eyes as he watched the guards milling around outside the Governor's house. Even with his superior speed there was no guarantee that he'd be disable them before one of them managed to sound the alarm.

For a brief moment he considered summoning Pam, before dismissing the idea as quickly as it came. He didn't know what he would be walking into and he wasn't going to put her in any unnecessary danger.

Eric's head snapped to the side as he caught sight of someone making their way towards the house, deep in conversation on their phone.

"…I have a meeting with the Governor at 5:30pm…"

The words were barely out of his mouth before Eric pounced; the man barely put up a struggle and Eric was soon seated inside the Governor's house, pretending to read a magazine as he waited for 'his' meeting.

"The Governor will see you now."

Eric looked up and smiled at the dark haired woman, "Wonderful," he said, picking up a briefcase and following her to the Governor's office.

He found Governor Burrell on the phone, he dutifully followed his directions to take a seat and waited with a simpering air for the Governor to finish his phone call.

"Phew, boy that boy can _talk_," Burrell said as he hung up the phone, Eric stood up respectfully, "sorry about that," Burrell added, moving to sit on the front of his desk and indicating for Eric to resume his seat.

"No problemo," Eric assured him, sitting back down, "thank you so much for seeing me, I know you're a very busy man."

"So you are from the…ah…"

"Department of Wildlife and Fisheries," Eric supplied.

"And you're here about the…uh…the…" Burrell continued, Eric resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"The American Whooping Crane."

"You will forgive me for not having time to read your proposal," Burrell said, attempting (and failing) to sound apologetic, "but I've been totally _consumed_ by this vampire business."

"Mm, and I just have to say that I really applaud your effort," Eric told him, watching with detached amusement as Burrell preened at the compliment.

"Well, thank you," Burrell said with a smile, "it hasn't been easy."

"No," Eric agreed, "but it takes a man of real _vision_ to take a stand."

"Well, I do not relish this fight, but I for one can not stand by while our communities are over run by bloodsuckers," Burrell said, Eric hummed his agreement and, sensing a kindred spirit, Burrell continued his monologue. "You know they attacked a Chucky Cheese yesterday,"  
he glanced at Eric, "did you hear about this?"

"No," Eric replied, shifting a little in his seat and trying to appear riveted.

"A vampire stole two little kids, turned them into two tiny little vampires, and those little fangers murdered their momma and daddy, sucked them dry right in their own living room, oh can you imagine?" Burrell asked with a theatrical shiver.

"Well, I suppose they were just trying to survive," Eric commented, forgetting for a moment where he was, "those little baby vampires." He resisted the urge to smile as he thought about his own baby vampire, before he caught sight of Burrell's face, "Just like the Whooping Crane," he joked, making Burrell laugh.

"Indeed, but I think you'd have to agree that if Whooping Cranes posed a threat to the populous we'd have to wipe them out," Burrell informed him.

"You could try."

"Try?"

"Well, Whooping Cranes have been known to defend their territory," Eric explained lightly.

"Even so-"

"And they charge," Eric continued, demonstrating with his hand, "they're attackers."

"Well, they're no match for a hunter," Burrell assured him.

Eric gave a simpering laugh, trying not to show too much of his amusement at the thought of Burrell as a hunter. "I don't know, perhaps you shouldn't underestimate them," he said, trying to keep his tone light.

"What's your point, fella?" Burrell asked, dropping some of his jovial demeanour.

"I'm just saying it's a tough, f*cking bird," Eric replied, dropping his persona.

Burrell moved to sit behind his desk, "You know, fella, it's the end of the day so I don't have a lot of time to talk about Cranes, why don't you just tell me what I can do for you?"

Eric moved at vampire speed to lean across the desk, "Oh I'll tell you what you can do you sanctimonious sack of shit," he said, staring into Burrell's stupefied face. "You will stop your persecution of vampires, you will rescind your order to shut down vampire run businesses, and you will prosecute all human on vampire crime to the fullest extent of the law." He paused, "As a matter a fact you now _love_ all vampires."

Eric smirked and was about to release Burrell from his influence when the Governor smirked back, "Guards!" he called.

Eric whipped around as a group of guards came pouring into the room, weapons at the ready.

"Sorry son," Burrell apologised through a fit of laugh, "but that shit's not going to work anymore, yeah we figured out your little hypnosis trick. What did you all call it? 'Glamouring'? Well we made special contact lenses to protect us. Matter of fact we figured out a lot about your kind, helping us develop these fancy new weapons," he continued, indicating the guns held by the guards. "They will fry a vampire from the inside and that is just the tip of the iceberg. I have spent _years_ waiting for the political winds to swing my way and then you fuckers went out and bombed your own damn Tru Blood factories. All of a sudden no more obstacles," he pointed to his chest, "_I_'m a genius, so thank you for that. It's time for humans to bite back," he added, attempting to hiss at Eric, he glanced at the guards, "You take this sneaky son of a b*tch to camp."

Eric said nothing as he allowed the guards to escort him from the room; he paused next to the truck waiting just outside the Governor's front door.

"You're not going to read me my rights?" he asked drily.

"You don't have any right, vamper," one the guards told him.

"Well, that's not very nice," Eric deadpanned.

"Get in the van!" another guard ordered, moments before Eric took to the sky.

The stunned silence that followed his assent was broken by a third guard, "They can fly?"


	9. Chapter 9

Jessica slowly made her way up the stairs and back into the mansion, dragging a spade along behind her.

She'd honestly thought feeding Bill would be the right way to bring him back to her, she hadn't counted on it making things worse. She suppressed a shudder at the memory of Bill sucking that poor woman dry. Pushing the image out of her mind she focused on propping the spade against the doorway as she came back to join her comatose Maker in his study.

"I don't know if you can hear me," she said, taking a tentative step towards him, "my great aunt Matilda was in a coma once when I was a kid, the doctors said she could hear us talking to her so…" she trailed off as she stopped next to his chair. "You said you could feel the pain of all vampires and…I was just wondering if you could feel mine, because I'm scared," she confessed. "It feels like the world is spinning out of control and I have this terrible feeling that out there," she gestured towards the window, "it's just chaos and in here…" she trailed off as she knelt down beside his chair.

"I was raised on the Human Bible," she continued, "and then you gave me the Vampire Bible and…I don't know if I believe any of it, but…" she reached out and carefully covered his hand with one of her own. "Are you Lilith?" she whispered, "Are you…are you God?"

She wiped away a stray tear with her freehand before bowing her head, "Heavenly father, I don't know the last time I prayed to you. I've been greedy and lustful and wrathful. I killed people and lied and I've taken your name in vain." She shook her head a little, sniffling, "I beg you for your forgiveness."

She looked up at him, "Please watch over my friends…if that's what they are. Please bless Jason he is such a good man and he is hurting so bad." She took a deep unnecessary breath, "Please bless Pam, I know she tried to kill you but she's been good to me, real good," she added, thinking back over the last few nights.

"Bless Sookie, I know you two have had your problems, but she loves you," she insisted, "I know she does." She paused, "Bless Eric and his sister, both of them have helped me…in their own way. And bless Sam and Lafayette and Arlene and all the good people of Bon Temps, they know not what they do."

She sighed and sat up a little straighter, looking deep into his vacant eyes, "And bless Bill, if you are him, or he is you, bless him, please bring him back to me, I need him," her voice broke as she broke down, "I really do."

When he gave no sign of having heard her, she slowly got to her feet; wiping her eyes she left the room. She was halfway up the stairs when the sound of the TV sent her rushing back down at vampire speed.

She almost fainted in her relief to see Bill standing and apparently compos mentis again as he watched the news. Launching herself at him, it took a few moments for what the newsreader was saying to sink in and she looked up in horror as she realised he was describing what Bill had seen.

"You can see the future," she whispered.

"I can see the future," he agreed, staring at the screen. She felt him flinch in her arms and for a second she was worried that he was about to disappear on her again, when he just as suddenly snapped out of his trance.

"They're all going to burn," he whispered.

Jessica took a step back, turning off the TV as she did so, watching as he started to pace. "You said they're all going to burn," she said carefully, "who, Bill, who's going to burn?"

"Vampires," he replied shortly, "many of them."

"Where is this happening?"

"I don't know."

"Do you know-?"

"I don't _know_," he snapped, "but I have to stop it, I _have_ to save them. Lilith came to me."

"But it's the future," she reasoned, "what you've seen will happen she can't possibly expect you to-"

"I HAVE TO!" he bellowed, startling her. "You were there too, Jess," he said sounding defeated, "burned in the sun. You were one of them. I don't know why or how or when, but I saw it," he continued, coming to a stop in front of her, "You, Eric, Pam…"

"The True Death?" she confirmed in a small voice.

"So help me, I will _not_ lose you Jess," he said, crushing her to him, "I will stop this," he promised.

She nodded, burying her face in his shoulder; desperately wanting to believe him, but terrified he might fail.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I'm guessing no one is all that interested in the Eric & Willa scene, so I skipped it...**

"Where's Nora?" Eric asked, walking back into Fangtasia and dragging the dark haired woman from Burrell's mansion behind him.

"She had to verify something she found," Pam replied, getting to her feet, "who the f*ck is she?" she demanded, gesturing towards the cowering woman.

"Pam, Molly, I'd like you to meet Willa Burrell," he said easily.

"You kidnapped the Governor's _daughter_?" Pam demanded.

Molly looked up from the phone she was still tinkering with, "Please tell me you didn't…"

"She has information that I need," he explained, "at least she'd better," he threatened, towering over Willa.

"I'll tell you everything I know, I swear," Willa promised, cowering away from him.

Pam put her hands on her hips, "Promise me you are going to kill her."

"That all depends on how useful she is," Eric replied, thrusting Willa into one of the booths. "The Governor and his security won't be far behind us," he added, moving a chair in front of the cowering human. "I want you to pack up anything you feel nostalgic about before we leave Fangtasia for good. Is that my phone?" he added, glancing at what Molly was working on.

She looked up sheepishly, "Er…"

Eric waved a hand dismissively, "Forget it, I don't care, just put it back together," he ordered, before looking over to where Pam stood, arms crossed as she watched him. "Pam?" he questioned, coming over to join her.

"If you can't promise me that you'll kill her, can you at least promise me that she isn't another Sookie?" she asked in a low tone, avoiding his gaze as she realised how ridiculous she must sound.

Eric tilted her head up with a finger under her chin, "Nothing is more important to me than you," he told her seriously, "and when this is all over I look forward to proving that, in the meantime you'll just have to trust me."

She nodded and he kissed her forehead; she made to walk off but he pulled her back and kissed her firmly on the lips.

"Better," he said with a smirk, before sauntering back to where Willa was sitting; Pam hid a smirk of her own as she went to collect a few things.

She returned a few minutes later, box in hand, to find Eric looking subdued and waiting for her by the bar. She glanced over to where Molly was standing guard over Willa before joining him.

"We have to take her with us," Eric said in an undertone.

"Why? What did she say?"

"It's complicated and she's the only leverage we have," Eric explained patiently.

Pam glanced over her shoulder, "She's also a liability," she commented.

Eric reached out and squeezed her hand, "None of this is ours anymore, _kalila_, Burrell already took it and we have nothing to negotiate with, we have nothing to fight him with. All we have is her. The world is changing and we have to change with it."

"F*ck change, can't we just kill her and be done?"

Eric smiled at her words, "We will never be safe until we have stopped Burrell," he told her seriously, "this is going to get out of control unless we put a stop to it now."

"My hero," she muttered sarcastically and he smirked.

"As long as you'll always be my lady," he replied easily, kissing her on the cheek as he straightened. "Let's go," he ordered, motioning for Molly and Willa to join them as he picked up Pam's box and led the way out of the bar.

...

**A/N: Hopefully will have some more up tomorrow, thanks for the reviews/follows/favourites x**


	11. Chapter 11

"Ginger's house?" Pam asked as they trudged up the drive, "_This_ is your master plan?"

Eric put his arm around her shoulders, drawing her against him, "Ginger is very susceptible and I can be very persuasive when I want to be, or have you forgotten?" he asked, his tone unnecessarily seductive.

"Not quite the same thing as 'charm,'" Pam deadpanned and he pulled a face at her as he released her to knock on the door.

"Watch the Master," he said, earning an eye roll from Pam as Ginger opened the door.

"Well, well, well," Ginger greeted him, "if it isn't Eric Northman who's come a-knocking on my door."

"I have finally decided to take you up on your offer of a sleepover," Eric told her with a charming smile, "why don't you…invite me in?"

"Come on in you big, bad vampire," Ginger said, practically throwing open the door as she dragged Eric in by the collar.

Eric attempted to hide his amusement as Pam stopped the door from closing behind them with far more force than necessary.

"Oh, if you don't mind, I brought some friends," he added, moving further into the small room.

"Invite me in," Pam commanded.

"Uh…come on in, I guess," Ginger replied, watching in confusion as Pam shoved a gagged Willa through the door as she stalked in.

Once again Ginger's attempt to shut the door was thwarted, this time by Molly, "Invite me in?" she asked sweetly.

"Whatever, come in," Ginger said, by now completely disillusioned as she finally closed the door. She took in the sight of the three vampires and Willa, "Does this mean we're not f*cking?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Sadly, no, Ginger, we will not be f*cking on this occasion," Eric replied with mock regret, "however the night will come when we do, this I promise you," he assured her, ignoring the annoyed look Pam shot in his direction.

"Who's the human anyhow?" Ginger asked, eyeing Willa suspiciously.

"Who she is isn't your concern," Eric replied, "that she will be taking over your coffin is."

"How come she gets the coffin?" Molly grumbled, crossing her arms.

"It has a lock," Eric explained, hiding a smirk at her expression.

"And we get – what? Some shitty little cubby hole?" Pam retorted, also crossing her arms.

Eric regarded both vampires with barely concealed amusement, "It's almost time to go to ground," he said pleasantly, "Ginger, will you please escort Pam and Molly to your _shitty_ little cubby hole?"

Eric smirked as Molly stuck her tongue out at him as she dutifully followed Ginger out of the room. Pam remained where she was, glaring at him.

Eric quirked an eyebrow at her sullen expression, "Go with Ginger," he said firmly, "I'll join you shortly," he promised.

Pam pursed her lips, but obediently followed the others out of the room; Eric watched her go with an amused smile before dragging Willa into the next room in order to lock her in the coffin.


	12. Chapter 12

Meanwhile, a worried Jessica stepped out onto the front porch where Bill stood watching the horizon, "Bill?"

"Lilith gave me the answer," he told her without turning around, "I only had to realise it. When she came to me, when we talked, it was daylight, we were standing in the noonday sun, I could feel the warmth on my skin," he explained, turning to face her. "I could literally feel the rays and I did not burn," he added, his tone full of wonder.

"Ok, I admit that I don't understand exactly what has happened to you, but I _know_ you are still a vampire and I know the sun will…" she grabbed his hands and tried to pull him back inside, "you can't, you just can't."

"Pam put a wooden stake through my chest and I pulled it out like a splinter from my finger," he reminded her, "I walked through fire. I'm having visions, I am Lilith's prophet, I feel like I can…" he looked imploringly at her, "I feel immortal."

"Maybe you are, but what if you're not? You are my _world,"_ she told him, "Bill, you're my father, my Maker, my friend, please don't do this to me," she begged.

"Don't worry," he said, stepping out of her hold.

"Bill! Something killed Lilith and if you meet the sun - you're _wrong_!"

"But I'm not wrong," he assured her, "you'll see," he added, cupping her cheek with his hand, "go inside now."

Jessica knew it was command when her body obeyed of her own volition, "No, Bill-!"

The rest of her protest was cut off as Bill shut the door and stepped back out to greet the rising sun. She rushed to the window and pulled back the blackout curtains, ignoring her own instincts for self-preservation as she watched Bill stepped out into the front yard as the sun became visible.

For a brief moment, she believed it everything would be all right; then he burst into flames.

His agonised screams were echoed by her terrified whimpers as she rushed to the door to let him back in, she could hear him calling her name and it took all of her self-control to wait until he was just outside the door before she came to his aid.

She smothered the flames with a blanket before pulling him gently into her arms, she let out a sob as she took in the extent of his burns.

"I don't understand," he whimpered, "I don't understand…"

"It's ok," she whispered, wondering vaguely who she was trying to comfort, Bill or herself. "You'll be ok…it's going to be ok…" she sobbed.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Ok, unlike the others, this chapter is _entirely_ made up and is meant to be a little silly/fluffy (but, I'm getting the sense some of you need that). This is also - sort of - based on a theory I have used in the past about Pam being claustrophobic (which is all part of a head canon I've developed)**

Eric suppressed a sigh at the frightened look Willa gave him as he bundled her into Ginger's coffin; the whole innocent-captive routine was starting to get old.

He checked her restraints one last time before closing the lid on the coffin and securing it, he turned to Ginger who was hovering nearby.

"Ginger, I need you to listen very closely," he told her, watching as she came under his influence. "This coffin stays closed, she doesn't come out and no one goes in except for me. In fact, as far as you're concerned, it's empty and if she makes any noise, you can't hear it, understand?" Ginger nodded, "Good girl," he told her with something like affection as he stepped passed her.

"Where are you going to sleep?" Ginger asked in one last ditch attempt to seduce him.

Eric glanced over his shoulder, "With my girls," he told her easily as he disappeared into the cubby hole in Ginger's broom closet.

"You were right," Eric commented, crawling into the small space next to Pam, "it really is a _shitty_ little cubby hole."

"I still don't see why we couldn't just lock _her_ down here," Molly grumbled in the corner, sounding a little muffled.

"It's not that bad," Eric replied, shifting so that he wasn't lying on a rock, he closed his eyes, "pretend you're camping."

"I always hated camping," Pam muttered.

"I never saw the attraction either," Molly agreed.

"It's just for one day, I'm sure you're both big enough girls to handle it," Eric replied, keeping his eyes shut.

"I suppose it could be worse," Pam commented after a moment, "it's better than being buried," she shifted, accidentally bumping Eric, "though not by much."

"I spent a week getting the dirt out of my hair the last time I did that," Molly replied.

"I'm sure spider webs will be a lot easier," Pam drawled.

Eric was about ask if they planned on talking all day, when Molly suddenly sat up, banging her head on the floor above them.

"Spiders?!"

Eric sighed, "Molly, lie down," he ordered.

"But-"

"You're a vampire, they can't hurt you."

Silence reigned after that and Eric was almost certain that the two women had finally died for the day when Pam poked his shoulder, "Eric?"

"What?"

He felt a small spike of anxiety, "It's all very close in here," she murmured.

"Oh for heaven's sake," Eric muttered, half exasperated, half concerned as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close against him.

She rested her head on his shoulder and laced her fingers through his, "Better," she said with a small sigh and Eric felt her relax.

He shook his head, "Honestly, what did I do to find myself stuck with you two?"


	14. Chapter 14

"Where are you going?" Jessica asked the next evening, following Bill down the stairs.

"I'm running errands," Bill replied absently, grabbing his coat, "you stay here."

"Let me go with you," she begged.

Bill sighed, "There is a curfew out there, Jess," he reminded her, stopping at the door and turning to face her, "and you are in peril." He stepped towards her and cupped her cheek, "I can't take the risk," he told her, before he chucked her under the chin and turned back to the door.

Jessica blocked him, "The night we came back to town, the night Pam staked you, I stayed," she told him. "I was scared of you but I stayed because you said you needed me," she reminded him, moving to block him as he attempted to get around her, "you said that I was the only one you could trust."

"No, Jess," he said firmly.

She narrowed her eyes, "Now that we know it's about my survival you can't ask me to stay here like a little girl."

Bill regarded her for a long moment, she met his gaze steadily and he felt himself begin to waver.

"Don't shut me out," she begged, "you have to let me help."

Bill suppressed a sigh, "There is a professor, he's a scientist; his name is Hido Takahashi. He works at the University of North Louisiana. Most people think that he is the man responsible for synthesizing Tru Blood."

Jessica's eyes lit up, "And you want me to go get him?"

"Yeah, you go get him," he told her with a smile as she drew him into a tight embrace.

In the next moment she was heading back to the stairs, but he called her back. "You should…" he trailed off, his paternal instincts making it difficult for him to get the sentence out, "wear something inappropriate," he said in a rush, "Takahashi has got a thing for young women."

She smiled at him, winking as she disappeared up the stairs. Bill stared after her for a moment, torn between hating himself for serving her up like that the Professor and his confidence in her ability to handle the situation.

He shook his head and reminded himself that he had other things to worry about than what his Child was wearing as he stepped out into the night.


	15. Chapter 15

"Knock, knock," Eric woke to Ginger's cheery tone as she tapped on the entrance to the cubby hole.

It took him a moment to orientate himself and another moment to realise that he was trapped underneath Pam and Molly, who had moved at some point during the day to snuggle into his other side.

Apparently she _was_ arachnophobic.

As carefully as he could, he untangled himself from the younger vampires and climbed out of the cubby hole.

"I hope it's all right I answered your phone, it's the Governor," Ginger said, holding her hand over the mouthpiece and looking impressed.

Eric sighed as he stepped passed her, taking the phone off her as he did so.

"He's got the Governor on the line," he heard Ginger explain, still sounding excitable. He turned to find Pam and Molly dusting themselves off as they climbed out after him.

"Big surprise," Pam drawled.

"He'll be tracing the call," Molly said urgently.

"He'll be trying, but my phone is untraceable," Eric told her easily, stepping into the other room.

"Actually-"

Eric shot Molly a look to silence her as he switched the phone onto speaker, "Hello Governor."

"_You took my Willa."_

"I did," he said with a certain malice.

"_Is she still alive?"_

"She is," he assured him, sounding bored as he looked out the window.

"_Can you prove that to me?"_

"I won't," Eric replied easily, "and here's why, your _Willa_ will not be alive long."

"Thank you," Pam said with a smirk in the background.

"_Now Mr. Northman, please, please let's talk about this, we can negotiate," _Burrell begged.

"Now the only reason I haven't killed her yet," Eric continued in a conversational tone, cutting him off, "is because I'm trying to decide on the best way to do it. Should I drink her? No. I think she might enjoy that, see she's developing a little thing for me." He smirked as Pam rolled her eyes, "I have a friend here who thinks I should decapitate her," he continued, this time earning a smile from his progeny as he winked at her, "that's always fun but messy, and I'm wearing a three-thousand dollar suit." He moved to fiddle with something on Ginger's mantelpiece, "I don't know; maybe I should just take it to the internet and let the people decide." He turned so that he was facing Pam, "One thing is for certain though, I _am_ going to kill her," he said, more for her benefit than the Governor's, "and I'm not going to put her on the phone to say goodbye to Daddy."

"_Got it sir_,_" _came a muffled voice in the background and Eric froze, sharing a horrified look with Pam before looking over at Molly who merely raised her eyebrows.

"_Mr. Northman, please, I'm begging you I will reverse course,_" Burrell assured him, trying to sound sincere,_ "I will rescind the curfew, I will publically apologise, please I'm begging you…"_

"Great, that's all I needed to hear," Eric interrupted him, "if you'll just give me a minute to untie her, I'll put her on the phone," he added, putting the phone on hold.

"I tried to warn you," Molly said as she and Pam followed him into the next room, "no phone is untraceable," she told him, sounding like she couldn't believe he was that naïve, "but I _was_ working on it earlier."

Eric ignored her comments as he threw open the lid, "Time to go Miss Burrell," he greeted Willa with a pleasant smile as he hauled her out of the coffin.

"Take her and go," he ordered, thrusting the human in Pam's direction, "I'll follow you shortly."

Pam nodded and the trio disappeared out the window; Eric turned to Ginger.

"Now, you're my assistant Ginger," he told her, glamouring her once more, "and as my assistant your job is to stall for me. The girl is very tied up and I am extremely bad at untying people. Whatever you do keep them on the line, understood?"

She nodded, "Yes."

"And once the Governor storms in here you never saw any of us. Take the phone," he ordered, putting it into her hand, "goodnight Ginger," he added and was gone.


	16. Chapter 16

"I told Eric she would be a f*cking liability," Pam muttered as she led the way into a small clearing in the woods near Bon Temps, dragging Willa behind her. "If he doesn't kill her soon, I'll do it myself," she added.

"Is killing her really going to make it any better?" Molly asked, "Can't we just glamour her and let her be?"

"It's too late for that," Pam replied, throwing Willa onto the ground next to a fallen tree, "besides, glamouring's boring."

Molly regarded Willa doubtfully, "She's on our side, I heard her telling Eric that she hates what's happening."

"I don't give a f*ck what she hates, this is _war_," Pam spat, "it's us against them and we have to do whatever it takes to survive."

"We are so f*cked," Molly said, sitting down heavily on a nearby tree trunk.

"Your confidence in our cause is truly inspiring," Eric said drily as he stepped out of the darkness to join them.

"Now can we kill her?" Pam asked, baring her fangs. Behind her, Molly got to her feet, baring her fangs in turn.

"All in good time," Eric assured them, taking stock of their surroundings, his gaze fell on Willa. "Leave us," Eric ordered after a long moment, his tone firm.

Pam gaped at him, "What?"

Eric glanced at her, "Once we do this, Governor Burrell is going to throw everything he's got at us." He took a step towards her, "You and Molly need to go, I don't care where and I don't care how, but you have to get away from here." He cupped her face in his hands, "I can't lose you."

Pam covered his hands with her own, "Don't do this," she begged, "let's just kill her now and go."

Eric shook his head, "I don't want you involved in this, it's too dangerous."

"Stop trying to be a hero," she pouted, "come with us," she begged, sounding a little choked up.

"I will come, I promise," he said softly, "but I have to find Nora first."

He kissed her forehead, "Be brave, _hasi_, we will be together soon."

She gave him a watery smile as he stepped back and turned to Molly, "Try and stay out of trouble," he told her, chucking her under the chin.

"I always try," she retorted with a smile that didn't quite meet her eyes.

Eric chuckled, "Then try harder."

Impulsively Molly wrapped her arms around his middle, burying her face in his chest; surprised, Eric tentatively returned the embrace.

"Don't do anything stupid," Molly warned him after a moment as she pulled away.

Eric grinned, "I'll be fine," he assured her.

He regarded them both for a long moment, before his features hardened, "Go," he ordered, gesturing into the distance.

Pam and Molly slowly backed out of the clearing, eyes on Eric, before they turned and disappeared into the night.

Willa whimpered behind the gag that still covered her mouth as Eric turned towards her, a dangerous glint in his eye.


	17. Chapter 17

"I thought you said he had four fairy _kids_," Jessica said uncertainly as she watched the four teenage girls bustle out of Andy's house.

"He did," Bill replied, sounding just as uncertain, "but you smell that, right?" he asked, looking back at her.

She nodded as they watched the girls pile into Andy's police car and drive off; Bill waited until the car had jerked out of the driveway before following them.

The two vampires remained at a discreet distance, pulling over a few moments after the girls as they disappeared into a shop on the roadside.

"Hey, wait," Jessica ordered as Bill made to leave the car, "let me do it," she said as Bill resumed his seat.

"I can be very persuasive," he assured her with a grin.

"And very impulsive," Jessica countered.

"You don't trust me?"

"I trust _Bill_," she replied, "but I also know there's a fight going on inside of you between Bill and Lilith and I just want to make sure that _she_ doesn't win tonight. Those girls, they're also the same age I was when you turned me, if anything were to happen to them I…I'd never forgive myself."

Bill regarded her for a long moment before he nodded; Jessica grinned and pecked him on the cheek, before getting out of the car.

She found the four fairies attempting to convince the sleazy shopkeeper that they were old enough to buy beer. If she had still been a human, Jessica was reasonably sure she'd be trying not to be sick as she heard the shopkeeper suggest they step out the back.

"Oh that's ok," she called out, coming over to the counter, "I got it," she added, leaning over to glamour the shop keeper. "You don't need to see my ID now do you?" she asked sweetly.

"Uh…no," he replied.

"Good," she said with a grin, "now forget you ever saw us," she ordered, gesturing for him to leave.

"Yeah, ok," he agreed as he disappeared out the back.

Jessica took a moment to compose herself, before she turned back to face the fairies, plastering a friendly grin on her face.

"My name's Jessica, what's yours?"

The fairies lost some of their exuberance, "Ah…we don't have names," one of them said as they all looked a little awkward.

"Oh my gosh, that's so cool," Jessica gushed, "I mean, I hate having a name. I always have to be like, 'hey my name's Jessica,' how lame is that right? That's just so f*cking cool," she added, watching as they relaxed again.

"I guess it is kind of cool," one of them said as the others smiled.

"Hey, um, do you guys want to come back to my place?" Jessica asked, moving towards the door, "We could party there…?"

"The thing is," another one of the girls piped up, looking uncertain, "you smell kind of funny. You're not like us are you?"

"Ah, no, no I'm not," she agreed, "actually, the truth is I'm a vampire. Please don't freak out," she added in a rush as the girls gasped and stepped back, "because I'm really old and I can totally control myself," she lied, "and I have _tons_ of fairy friends, just think of me as a regular girl," she cajoled, watching as they wavered, "come on, it will be super fun."

"Ok, let's go."

Jessica smiled as she led the way out of the store with the fairies giggling in her wake.

...

**A/N: I do have some more chapters written, but I won't have time to write anything new for a little while so I'm going to stagger posting them over the next few days. Thanks for the reviews/favourites/follows x**


	18. Chapter 18

"What the f*ck was that?" Molly demanded baring her fangs and taking up a defensive stance as a flash of light shot in front of them, splitting a tree in half.

Pam bared her fangs as well, searching the surrounding area for the source of the flash, "I don't know."

Both vampires turned and growled as someone materialised nearby, "It's just me," Nora said, stepping out of the darkness, "where's Eric?"

Molly retracted her fangs, "With Willa."

"Willa?"

"The soon to be dead Governor's daughter," Pam explained retracting her fangs.

"The Governor's _what_? Whose brilliant idea was that?" Nora snapped, looking between the two vampires.

Pam narrowed her eyes, "It was _his_ brilliant idea actually."

"Typical," Nora muttered, all three vampires ducked as another flash of light caused a nearby bush to burst into flames. "We should go," Nora said, leading the way further into the woods.

"Would you care to explain what the f*ck is going on here?" Pam asked as she followed her.

"Something to do with Sookie," Nora replied absently.

Pam rolled her eyes, "Of course."

The three vampires came to an abrupt halt as an older, wizened looking man appeared in front of them, holding a glowing ball of light in the palm of his hand.

"How do you know about Warlow?" he asked, addressing the group but looking at Nora.

Nora regarded the ball of light and weighed her options, "Do you know of Lilith?" she asked finally.

The man regarded her suspiciously, "Lilith who?"

"She was the first of all vampires," Nora explained, "and she will bring destruction on us all if we do not stop her."

"Him," Pam corrected her from behind, Nora silenced her with a look.

"Go on," the man prompted.

"There was a mistranslation in our bible," Nora continued, "it read the people led Lilith to the sun, it should have read the _progeny_ led Lilith to the sun. Warlow is the progeny, only he can kill Lilith."

The man seemed to take a moment to absorb this information; Nora took a deep breath, looking at him in wonder.

"Holy f*ck you smell amazing…" she breathed, unconsciously taking a step forward.

Pam made to pull her back, but the man sent them all spiralling through the air as he shot them with the ball of light.

They landed with an audible thud on a nearby road, "Nice going," Pam muttered as they got unsteadily to their feet.

"Halt!" called a voice from nearby and the three vampires looked up as a group of armed guards rushed to surround them. "L.A.V.T., identify yourself are you humans or vampires?"

"Who the f*ck are the L.A.V.T.?"

Pam had barely gotten the words out when they opened fire, the three vampires screamed in agony as they fell to the ground.

In the distance, calmly packing the pieces of Willa's mutilated body into a box, Eric looked up sharply as Pam's scream echoed through their bond.

"No," he whispered.

...

**A/N: Yes, yes he was calmly packing pieces of Willa into a box...**


	19. Chapter 19

Jessica resisted the urge the cover her ears as she listened to the fairies complain about being bored and wanting to go home.

"Wait please!" she called as they suddenly made a break for the door, slamming it shut she held up her hands. "If y'all go, I'm dead," she pleaded as they crowded around her.

"That's your f*cking problem," one of them said as they started to try and manhandle her out of the way.

The scent of fairy filled her nostrils and Jessica fought to maintain her control, "Seriously, get the _f*ck_ away from me!" she yelled as her fangs dropped.

The girls all froze and took a step back as her eyes darkened, "You smell like honey…" she breathed, lunging for the fairy closest to her.

As her fangs sank into the girl's neck, one of them panicked and zapped her with her light. It wasn't much, but it was enough to bring a horrified Jessica back to her senses.

She abruptly dropped the girl and backed away, hugging herself.

The other fairies huddled around their injured sister, backing away from Jessica warily.

"Just…please, stay here," Jessica begged, reaching behind her for the door handle; she waited long enough to for them to agree before she flung the door open and ran out.

Once she was out of the room the enormity of what she had almost done sunk in and she kept running; she didn't stop until she found herself pounding on Jason's front door.

"Invite me in," she half ordered, half begged as a bewildered and slightly dishevelled Jason opened the door.

"Come in," he said, concerned as he stepped aside.

"I know you hate me right now," she said, pacing the room, "but I don't know where else to go."

"Whoa, whoa, Jess, I don't _hate_ you," he assured her, "I just…my head's been a bit screwed up; I feel better now."

Jessica nodded absently still pacing, "I almost…I," she paused in her pacing to look him in the eye, "I almost _killed_ them, Jason, I almost killed them all." She resumed her pacing, "I keep seeing the horror in their faces, but the most messed up part is I _liked_ it, I liked seeing their fear and…oh…f*ck…her blood," she moaned. "But that's the Devil, right? I mean, that's the definition of _sin_."

"I'm not sure I'm following, Jess," Jason said hopelessly as he continued to watch her pace.

"Did you love me?" she asked finally, perching on the back of his couch.

Jason blinked, "What?"

"Ever, did you ever love me?" Jessica pressed.

"Well, sure…there were times," Jason confessed, looking uncomfortable as he rubbed the back of his head, "hell yeah, definitely I loved you," he said finally, "it just got all screwed up with Hoyt and everything…"

"Why?"

Again, Jason looked confused, "Why, what?"

"Why did you love me?"

Jason shrugged, "I don't know…everything I guess. Your heart most of all."

Jessica nodded thoughtfully, looking a little relieved, before her eyes snapped to his face and she started pacing again. "What if Bill isn't God?" she asked, wringing her hands, "What if Bill is the Devil? What if I've been serving the Devil?"

"Jess, you haven't been serving the Devil," Jason told her, trying to be consoling as he attempted to take her in his arms.

"No, no, no, don't get close to me," she said, moving to the other side of the room, "I can't be trusted and I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't hurt me," he assured her, holding his hands up in a placating gesture as he took a step towards her.

"Well, well, well," came a voice from Jason's bedroom, "you didn't mention that you had a vampire girlfriend," Sarah Newlin said accusingly as she stepped out into the living room.

"Yeah, she's not my-" Jason broke off, looking back at Jessica guiltily, "Well, kinda. I don't know what she is…"

"Did you just sleep with this lady?" Jessica asked, wondering if her night could get any worse, she narrowed her eyes as she regarded the woman more closely, "I know you, you're that awful lady from TV; you're Steve Newlin's ex-wife."

"I am not Steve Newlin's ex-wife," Sarah spat, "I am my own person."

"Uh…ladies, let's just…" Jason interjected, both women ignored him.

"You're telling me that you have been _fornicating_ with a _vampire_?" Sarah asked him incredulously.

Jason blinked, trying to figure out what 'fornicating' meant.

"It doesn't matter," Sarah continued, shooting a nasty smile in Jessica's direction, "she won't be a problem much longer."

"Whoa," Jason said, stepping protectively in front of Jessica, "just slow down."

Sarah looked at Jessica over Jason's shoulder and pulled herself up to her full height, "I rescind your invitation to this house," she declared.

"Jason!" Jessica screamed as she was torn from the house by an invisible force.

"You can't do that, it's _my_ house!" Jason roared, torn between making a grab for Jessica and confronting Sarah.

His decision was made as he heard weapons being cocked outside his door and Jessica being told to freeze. He burst out of the door in time to see Jessica being led away by a group of armed guards.

"Hey!" he shouted, "Stop that, you can't take her," he declared, following them.

"That's far enough," the leader of the group told him, stopping his forward motion with his hand.

"I'm an officer of the law," Jason growled, trying to move passed him. The guard blocked him again and Jason watched, powerless as Jessica was bundled up into the truck and taken away.

...

**A/N: No dead fairies on my watch. So there. **


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: I was going to leave it at two, but I thought y'all might like to know what Eric was up to...**

In what was becoming an almost tediously common occurrence, Eric found himself being led through a secure facility under armed guard with a bag over his head.

After arriving at the roadside to find nothing but a patrol of L.A.V.T. guards, giving himself up had been the most obvious and convenient means to find out where they had taken Pam. Although he began to question the wisdom of his decision as the bag was removed and he found himself in a small, brightly lit room with three other vampires: two males and one female.

He eyed each of them, gauging their relative ages and abilities; glancing around the room he noticed the red crosses on the ground. He moved so that he was standing over one, watching warily as the others did the same.

A flap opened in the roof and three balls fell from the ceiling, Eric watched with distinct disinterest as the balls bounced a few times before coming to a stop. He bent to pick up the closest one, watching as two of the others did the same.

Before any of them could react, another flap opened – in the wall this time – and the fourth vampire was shot in the chest.

Eric snarled, baring his fangs and watched as the other two remaining vampires did the same. Suddenly the little blue balls were incredibly interesting.

The next time, only two balls fell from the ceiling; Eric made sure he caught one, the female vampire caught the other.

The third vampire was shot.

_And then there were two_, Eric thought to himself, tossing the ball to the side as he faced off against the female vampire.

He looked up at the ceiling, his head snapped to the side as a compartment opened in the wall, revealing a weapon. Eric lunged for it as a similar compartment opened on the other side.

The female vampire was fast, but Eric was faster and he got her square in the chest as she spun around to face him.

He retracted his fangs and lowered his weapon, not wishing to cause any trouble – yet.

Another compartment opened, revealing something that looked suspiciously like prison blues; eyeing the room suspiciously, Eric tossed the weapon aside and obediently changed into the clothes.

After he'd finished, an armed guard entered and herded him out before leading him into another room. This one was full of other male vampires, "Evening fellas," he greeted them.

"I'm looking for a vampire by the name of Pamela Swynford-de Beaufort," he told them, looking around at the sullen faces, "has anyone seen my friend Pam?" he asked, his voice rising in his agitation.

They gave him a wide berth as he stepped further into the room, but remained silent.

"Well, I guess not," he said moodily as he took a seat on one of the tables.

He reached out to her through their bond and felt her familiar, comforting presence in the back of his mind. He held on to it with relief and felt her do the same.

At least she was safe.

Although, from what he had seen, he had to wonder just how long that would last.


	21. Chapter 21

Pam regarded the room she found herself in with distinct distaste.

"Can you lie down for me please?"

Pam looked over in annoyance at the only other occupant in the room: a thick set, middle aged human male.

"Not until you tell me what the f*ck this place is," she spat.

"I thought I already did," he said patiently in a voice that Pam guessed was meant to be soothing, but was actually rather irritating. "This is a research facility, we're here to study you; you're here to be studied. If you don't want to be studied, there are guns pointed at you right now," he paused for emphasis. "Not metaphorical guns, real guns. Now, can you please lie down for me?"

Pam eyed him warily before lying down on the couch.

"Hold the f*ck up," she exclaimed, jumping back up, "am I in therapy?"

"Well, it's like therapy yes," the man conceded, "but with an incentive."

"I don't give a shit what the incentive is, I am not going to talk about my _feelings_," she informed him, spitting out the last word as though it tasted bad. "What about the other room?" she demanded.

"What room are you referring to?"

"The one where y'all have the vampires fucking under that hideous fluorescent lighting. Put me in that room and I will fuck somebody for y'all," she told him, smiling sweetly, "I'm done with this room," she added, dropping her pleasant tone, "this room is bullshit."

"The copulation study is for Level 3s, you're a Level 1," he explained, Pam raised an eyebrow, a little mollified by that information. "Our interest in you is more intellectual," he continued, "we want to know what you think, how you think, what you think about and we will remain here as long as it takes until you engage in meaningful conversation."

Pam narrowed her eyes, apparently giving in to the inevitable, "You mentioned something about an incentive."

"When's the last time you fed?"

"Two days ago," she replied shortly.

"Good," he replied, picking up a notebook. "I am going to ask you a series of questions and if I deem your answers truthful we have what we call a living donor program," he told her with a meaningful look.

Pam sat down on the edge of the couch, "And what if I don't feel like being a good girl?"

"You can have watered down Tru Blood," he told her easily, gesturing to the table next to him, "care to try it?"

Pam wrinkled he nose, "Bring me a donor."

"Male or female?"

"Female," she stipulated, hiding a knowing smirk at the look on his face.

He pressed a button on the intercom next to the watered down Tru Blood, "Send in Som-Chai, please."

Pam smiled as a pretty Asian woman walked into the room, dressed only in a bathrobe, "Hello, my name is Som-Chai," she said in an accented voice.

Pam's smile widened and she lay down on the couch, "First question, please."

The man tried to hide his smug smile as he picked up a pen, "Talk to me about what value you place on life."

"Human life or vampire life?"

"Let's start with human and then work our way up," he suggested

"Who's the human?"

He looked a little taken aback for a moment, "How about me?" he asked finally, "What value do you place on my life?"

"None."

"Can you expand on that?"

Pam rolled her eyes, "Your insignificance to me cannot be underestimated. You are food, nothing else. Not even good food you reek of tuna fish," she added, wrinkling her nose. "Truth is, I care more about the life of that tuna you ate than I care about you," she told him flatly.

He eyed her, "Very good," he said after a moment, before indicating for Som-Chai to join Pam on the couch.

Pam sat up eagerly as Som-Chai sat down next to her, draping the woman across her lap, Pam made a show of smelling her blood at the pulse point before sinking her fangs into her neck. She watched the therapist out of the corner of her eye, noticing that he was visibly affected by the sight of her feeding; she smirked, it was almost too easy.

"That's enough," the therapist ordered after a moment, Pam dutifully stopped feeding, licking her lips as Som-Chai took a seat in the corner.

The therapist shifted a little in his seat, "Let's talk about vampires now," he suggested.

"What about them?" she asked as she settled back down on the couch.

"How much value do you put on another vampire's life?"

"We're not really living," Pam retorted.

"Vampires don't form bonds?" he asked, ignoring her comment.

"Only under specific circumstances."

"Such as?"

"Vampires can form bonds when they live together for a long time, it's called 'nesting,'" she began, "the longer vampires nest together, the stronger the bond becomes; but it's not a real bond."

"How so?"

"Split up a nest one night, the vampires will be staking each other the next if one so much as looks at the other funny."

"So we shouldn't worry about moving vampires from barracks to barracks to stop prevent relationships from forming?" he clarified.

"I don't give a f*ck what you worry about," Pam told him, "but I agree, your worries would be unfounded."

"Thank you," he said, scribbling something down in his notebook.

Pam hid a smirk as she thought about the 'relationships' she had formed with other vampires, the man really was an idiot to believe everything she had to say.

The relationships formed between vampires – outside of a nest at least – were stronger than he could ever imagine, especially if they shared a blood bond. Her amusement faded as she wondered briefly where Molly and Nora had been taken.

The therapist looked up from his notebook, breaking her train of thought, "So under ordinary circumstances you feel no remorse for killing another vampire?"

"No I don't," she said flatly.

"Are you speaking for yourself or for all vampires?"

"I like to think of myself as especially unremorseful," she told him, looking up through her eyelashes to see him smile, "but I doubt any of us gives a fuck."

"Except when it comes to your Maker?" he pressed.

"Yeah, that's a different story," she agreed.

He paused before setting aside his notebook, "Tell me about your Maker, Pam, what was his name? Her name?" he prompted as Pam remained silent.

"What does it matter?" she asked, shifting so that she was looking up at the ceiling, "He chose a human over me, we've parted ways."

She heard the seat creak as the therapist leaned forward, "He chose a human over you? How does that work?"

Pam sent him a withering look, "How do you think?"

His brow furrowed as he regarded her, "Where is he now?"

"I don't know," she lied, looking back up at the ceiling, "and I don't care," she added serenely, despite being acutely aware of the fact that he was in the same facility, looking for her.

"How does that make you feel?" he asked, curiously.

"I feel nothing," she replied, seeking Eric through their bond and receiving a wave of reassurance in return.

"Nothing?"

"You humans _love_ your pain don't you?" she said, sitting up. "You just love being in it. You even consider it a virtue. Cry the most at a funeral, you _must_ be the best person. You promise to never forget each other, you promise to feel the sting of loss _forever_ because for y'all forever is just the blink of an eye." She watched as he leaned in a little closer, drawn-in in spite of himself, "Your lives are pathetically brief. When _we_ say forever we have to _mean_ it. So we move past our pain, we heal, we move on because pain is a worthless emotion."

She sat back, leaning on her hands, "For a time my Maker was _everything_ to me, he chose someone else over me, it hurt. But now I'm over it," she said with a shrug, preferring not to tell him that she was over it because Eric hadn't chosen Sookie after all. "He's nobody to me," she added dismissively, even as she felt his comforting presence through their bond.

The therapist sat back in his chair, regarding her closely.

"I'm not sure I believe you," he said finally.

Pam smirked, "I guess you and I are done then, Som-Chai," she drawled, looking over to where she was still seated in the corner.

...

**A/N: I feel the creepy therapist scene is more fun if you know for sure that Pam is playing cat and mouse with him :P**


	22. Chapter 22

Molly watched with mild interest as she led through the corridors of the secure facility she'd been taken to with Pam and Nora. She wondered vaguely what had happened to the other two and if they'd been through the same experience she had.

At least she'd managed to survive through the test until the last level. If only she'd paid more attention to the weapons training she'd been given at the Authority, then _she_ might have been the one to shoot first.

She flinched as she caught sight of a vampire having his fangs pulled out, "All in the name of science, huh?" she asked.

The guard ignored her and she pulled a face at the back of his head as she continued to peep through the windows as she went passed.

She smirked as she stopped next to one with two vampires having sex, "Care to explain the scientific value of this?" she asked.

"Come on," the guard said, pulling her away from the window and missing her snap a piece off the nearby locking mechanism.

"I was just asking a question," she said innocently as they stopped outside a larger room full of female vampires.

Again the guard ignored her as he shoved her through the door, she smirked as she made her way to the corner of the room. Careful to keep the stolen technology out of sight, she settled down in the corner and began to examine it.

She was so engrossed in her task that she didn't notice Jessica until the other vampire had flung her arms around her.

"Thank God," Jessica cried, pulling away and looking into Molly's startled eyes. "I'm so glad you're here," she said, sitting down next to her and hugging her knees to her chest, "they put me in a white room with racket balls and they…they _f*cking_ shot me."

"Me too," Molly said with a sympathetic smile, she regarded the other vampire closely, "are you ok?"

"I've been better," Jessica murmured, looking around fearfully, "do you know where we are?"

"Some kind of research facility," Molly replied in a low tone, "I'm not sure what they're researching _for_, but I'm guessing this is how they came up with those new weapons."

"What new weapons?" Jessica asked, looking frightened.

"Silver bullets that emit UV light for one," Molly answered, suppressing a wince at the memory.

"Bill has been conducting some experiments of his own," Jessica replied absently, looking around them.

"What kind of experiments?" Molly asked, intrigued.

"I don't know," Jessica confessed, her voice laced with regret, "what do you think will happen to us?" she asked after a moment, hugging her knees a little tighter.

"We'll be all right," Molly assured her in a soothing tone as she turned back to the technology she'd been studying.

"What are you working on?" Jessica asked in a hushed tone, noticing the illicit technology.

"I'm not sure," Molly replied absently, still studying it, "but, with a bit of luck, it might help get us out of here."

Jessica nodded, leaving her to her task and shifting a little to shield the other vampire from view.


	23. Chapter 23

Eric lay on his back on one of the tables, watching the guards on the level above as they circled the room like vultures.

He wondered idly what Pam was up to, through their bond he could sense that she was as bored as he was; a stark contrast to the amusement he'd felt from her the previous evening when she'd obviously been engaged in some kind of mind game.

He smirked at the memory, he always enjoyed watching Pam play cat-and-mouse. She was almost always the cat and took great delight in playing with whoever was the mouse. In the few times the situation had been reversed, she still usually managed to end up on top.

His smirk changed to a grin: on top of him anyway.

Eric sat up slowly as the doors opened and an armed guard called him name; he resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the exaggerated manner that the guard gestured with his weapon to get him to follow him. Instead, he contented himself with sending a wave of amusement mingled with lust in his progeny's direction.

He hid his smile as she sent back what amounted to a venomous look.

"Another test?" he asked as he found himself in the room with painted crosses; as expected, he got no answer and he merely waited for what was to come.

Dimly he could hear voices behind the glass, but he didn't really pay much attention until a voice came over the loudspeaker, announcing Governor Burrell.

Eric couldn't resist, he gave a mock shiver of fear, "Oo, the Governor."

"My daughter came home in a box last night," Burrell's voice informed him, "you wouldn't know anything about that would you?"

"Um…" Eric pretended to think about it, "f*ck you."

"No, f*ck _you_, you dead f*ck," Burrell insisted, "f*ck you for taking my baby girl away from me and _f*ck_ you for killing her." There was a pause, "Did you really think it would make me abandon my principles?"

Eric resisted the urge to shrug, it had been a long shot and, besides, by the time he was dumping the body he was more concerned about what had happened to Pam.

A small door opened in the wall, revealing a stake. Eric raised an eyebrow as he went over to retrieve it; so this was another test after all.

_And the humans call vampires bloodthirsty_, he mused as he turned around to face the glass. "All right, Governor," he announced, spreading his arms in a gesture of preparedness, "give me something kill," he added, pointing his stake at the glass.

"Wait for it blondie," came a woman's voice that he vaguely recognised.

The murmurs resumed behind the glass and Eric wondered if something was ever going to happen, when another door opened. He glanced to the side and froze.

This time he heard what was spoken behind the glass with perfect clarity: "That's his only progeny, they love each other."

The woman's words snapped him back to reality as he slowly turned to face Pam.

She regarded him warily, holding a stake loosely by her side.

His lips twitched, _Well, I told you I'd always find you,_ he told her silently.

She raised an eyebrow slightly in response, _Hilarious._

"Come on Pam," another man's voice boomed in the room, "show me how little he means to you."

It was Eric's turn to raise an eyebrow, _Ouch._

Pam's lips twitched, _Shall I kiss it better?_

"Haven't you seen _Gladiator_?" the woman's voice all but shrieked over the loudspeaker, ending their silent conversation. "F*cking fight!" she ordered.

Pam shifted her hold on her stake, "You chose a human over me," she said flatly.

Eric bared his fangs at her, something he'd promised he'd never do again, "I did."

He narrowed his eyes at her slightly, _3…2…1…_

In perfect synch they rose until they were floating in mid-air, glaring at each other and poised to strike. Eric looked deep into her eyes, _Two guards, _he told her silently_, are you ready?_

She inclined her head slightly and in the next moment, they pounced.

It was all over in a matter of seconds and Eric had just enough time to appreciate the grace of his Child, before a group of armed guards came bursting into the room.

Eric obediently dropped his stake as they entered, watching out of the corner of his eye as Pam put hers down as well – through the chest of the guard lying at her feet.

He glanced at her as he dutifully raised his hands and sent a wave of lust and affection.

She gave him a sly look out of the corner of her eye as she put her hands up, sending him her desire in return.

Eric suppressed a growl, when this was over he was truly going to enjoy reaffirming their bond.

...

**A/N: Well, we all knew they were having a silent conversation...**


	24. Chapter 24

Eric glared at the bars of the cage he'd been placed in, wondering if he should be flattered that they'd felt the need to chain him up as well. He wondered whether Pam was in a similar situation, shying away from the memory of when she'd been held by the Magister as he tested his restraints.

"Mr. Northman."

Eric looked up as a dark haired man in a lab coat entered the room, followed closely by a jubilant Governor Burrell.

"Look who's caught him a tall blonde whooping crane," Burrell crowed, giggling over his own joke.

"I detect a tone," Eric replied dispassionately.

Burrell grinned, "Oh, you are dead Northman."

"For a millennium now."

"Oh no, I'm talking about the True Death you smartass," Burrell informed him, stepping closer to the cage, "but I'm not going to give you the courtesy of a quick True Death."

"Am I supposed to be scared?" Eric asked.

"You're never going to give up that cocky confidence are you, Mr. Northman?" the doctor asked, moving towards the door, "won't admit defeat…I suppose we're just going to have to show it to you," he opened to door, "Vivienne."

Eric straightened as Nora was wheeled in, strapped to what looked like a bed tipped on its side.

"Eric," she breathed.

"That vamp queen Newlin has come in handy," Burrell said as he watched the exchange, "he knows _everything_."

Eric made a mental note to hunt down Newlin later, "What do you want, Burrell?" he asked, keeping his eyes on Nora.

"I _want_ my daughter back," Burrell told him, stepping back up to the cage and blocking Eric's view of his sister, "I want you to feel the same _immeasurable_ loss," he continued, "I want you to understand what it's like to lose a part of who you are." He moved away to stand next to the restrained Nora, "It was going to be the other tall, pretty blonde," he added and Eric felt a twinge of anguish at the thought of Pam in danger, "but the in house shrink has a thing for her so your sister is going to have to do."

Eric relaxed slightly at his words, hating himself for being distracted by relief over his progeny's fate when his sister's clearly hung in the balance.

Nora hissed at Burrell, "Whoa sorry sis," he said, avoiding her attempt to bite him, "but them's the breaks."

"Proceed," he ordered and Eric looked over at the doctor that he'd half forgotten about.

"A fatal new strain from one of your infamous foes," the doctor explained with a smirk as he filled a needle with a yellow substance. "We're calling it Hepatitus V. My team is cautiously optimistic that our new virus can be spread any number of ways," he explained, "by ingestion, through copulation, both vaginal and anal, and of course the old standby," he added, holding the needle, "injection."

"No!" Eric bellowed as he realised where this was going, he fought against his bonds as the doctor stepped towards Nora.

"You're our first host," the doctor told her with a nasty smile, "congrats on being a part of history."

Eric flailed against the side of his cage as Nora tried desperately to free herself, but it was all in vain. The doctor jabbed her in the neck with the needle.

"Here we go," Burrell smirked as he wheeled a whimpering Nora closer to Eric's cage, "enjoy the show," he added gleefully as he and the doctor left the room.

Nora looked up at him with wide, fearful eyes, "I love you brother," she murmured as tears spilled from her eyes.

Eric gave up his attempts to free himself, going limp against the bars of his cage, "I love you sister."

In the back of his mind, he felt Pam panic as she felt his anguish; her fear flooded him, mingling with his own as he watched dark veins appear on Nora's neck. He sent Pam a weak wave of reassurance as he gently closed off their bond, turning his attention back to his sister.

"Nora," he said urgently as her eyes slipped shut, "Nora you've got to be strong."

"Ok," she agreed as she languidly opened her eyes.

"Be strong Nora," he repeated, more for his own benefit than for hers.

"I'm not afraid," she said finally, "I will be with Godric again. Able to look into his beautiful blue eyes…" she trailed off wistfully.

"Enough," Eric told her, struggling with his bonds again, "I'm getting you out of here."

...

**A/N: Don't panic - it's all under control...**

**Thanks for all the reviews/favourites/follows and a special thank you to 'Guest,' because you're on 'anon' I can't respond to your reviews but I really do appreciate them! :)**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: My apologies in advance for this not being a Paric related chapter. **

Jessica dutifully led the way down the corridor, conscious of the guard behind her and carefully avoiding looking in any of the windows.

She'd seen enough the first time and, from what Molly had told her, she had no desire to see anything else. She froze as they stopped outside the door to the room she'd been taken to on her first day, only to have the guard prod her in the back with his gun.

Obediently she stepped though the first set of doors and waited for the second set to open. Her brow furrowed as she came face to face with a shirtless male vampire.

"Who are you?" she asked nervously, stepping into the room.

"My name's James," he told her, watching as she kept her back to the wall.

"Do you know what we're doing here, James?" she asked, scanning the room for any sign of the balls or guns from the last time she found herself in this room.

"They want us to f*ck," James explained patiently, just as she caught sight of the makeshift bed in the middle of the room.

"Who wants us to f*ck?" she asked, he beckoned towards the window as she hugged herself, "But…I…I don't know you," she whimpered.

He tried to give her a kind smile, "They don't care."

"I guess that shouldn't surprise me," she said softly.

She backed away slightly as he came towards her, "Don't worry," he said soothingly, stopping just shy of her personal space. "I'm not doing anything," he announced to the room defiantly.

Suddenly a flash of UV light struck him in the shoulder, knocking him to the floor. Jessica covered her face with a whimper as she cowered next to the wall.

"I'm a vampire, not a rapist," he insisted, getting unsteadily to his feet and facing the window.

Another couple of flashes of UV light struck him and Jessica pulled herself together.

"James?"

"Yeah?"

"Let's just do it," she said quietly, coming to stand near him. "We'll do it alright," she told the window as James got to his feet, "we'll put on a show for you," she added, trying to keep her voice from breaking as she took of her shirt.

"Don't," James said, stopping her as she moved to take off her bra.

"We will just get it over with," she said, not quite looking him in the eye, "it's going to feel I'm a virgin, but I'm not."

"No f*cking way," he insisted and she looked up at him, "you don't deserve this," he told her quietly. He held her gaze for a long moment, before he turned to look at the glass again, "F*ck you and your lights," he declared, squaring his shoulders.

His defiance was met with another round of UV light that knocked him to the ground once more. This time when it stopped she went to help him, only to be prevented as a guard entered the room, ordering her back the way she had come.

She looked back at where James was still lying on the floor, "My name is Jessica," she told him as the doors closed behind her.


	26. Chapter 26

Eric glowered at the female doctor who had entered the room to check on Nora's progress, or lack thereof depending on your view point.

So far the only escape plan he'd been able to think of had been to summon Pam, but he couldn't risk putting her in harm's way. Besides, if she was chained up in the same manner as he was then calling her would only add to the distress he could feel from her, nipping at the back of his mind.

He growled in the back of his throat as Nora shifted uncomfortably in her restraints; she was now impossibly pale and her skin was mottled with dark veins.

Both vampires started as the female doctor was suddenly knocked to the ground; Eric looked up from her prone form in amazement to find Molly standing next to Nora and grinning.

"Well done, baby vampire," he greeted her with a smirk.

Molly narrowed her eyes at him, "Call me that again and I won't help you."

Eric's smothered a grin as he attempted to look chastised, "Of course," he agreed.

"How did you get in here?" Nora asked.

"Let's just say their security isn't as complicated as the Authority's," Molly replied as she bent down to check through the doctor's pockets for the key, growling slightly in frustration when she didn't find anything.

She froze as the door opened and a guard entered the room, he stopped short when he caught sight of Molly and the pair stared at each for a long moment. She pounced and snapped his neck before he could raise the alarm.

"Impressive," Eric commented as she found the key and came over to open the cage.

She smiled at the compliment, "That was the easy part," she told him, "now we have to get out of here."

"Leave that to me," Eric replied as he stepped out of the cage, eyeing the guard.

A few minutes later the trio were making their way down the corridor, Eric was dressed as a guard and Nora had the doctor's lab coat over her prison blues.

"I'm not sure how much longer I can keep going," Nora commented, flagging slightly as she tried to keep up.

"Well, I'm not going to let you stop," Eric told her absently, checking their surroundings as they continued down the corridor.

"Brother..."

Eric caught Nora easily as she slumped against the wall, holding her up as they kept walking. "We're getting out of here together," he murmured in her ear, "as soon as we find Pam," he added as they stopped outside a door.

"And Jessica," Molly reminded him.

He shrugged a shoulder as he watched Molly press her wrist against the lock causing the door to swing open. "One day you'll have to tell me how you do that," he said as he helped Nora to step through the door.

Molly smirked as she stepped passed him to open the next door, "I thought you didn't speak 'techie.'"

"I happen to know an excellent translator," he informed her as he relinquished his hold on Nora over to her so he could check the coast was clear.

He frowned as he took in what looked like a Tru Blood production line, "Wait here," he ordered over his shoulder. He barely waited for Molly's nod before he entered the room.

He looked around at the tableau in concern, wondering why their captors were bothering to make their own Tru Blood when they clearly were bent on their destruction. His eyes fell on the bubbling container of Hepatitis V and it all made sense.

"The Gen Pop batch isn't quite ready yet," called a voice from nearby, startling Eric.

"Ok," he replied trying to sound unconcerned as he looked up to see a balding man consulting a clipboard. Eric took another look at the setup, "But it's all contaminated, right?" he clarified.

The man looked up at him, "You bet," he replied easily, "it'll be just a few minutes."

Eric nodded, "All right, fantastic-o," he said, giving the man a thumbs up, "I'll be standing by," he added, before he started to back out of the room.

"F*ck me…" he muttered as he quickened his pace.

"The sneaky f*cks are putting Hep V in the blood supply," he announced as he joined Molly and Nora in the corridor outside of the production line. He looked back through the small window in the door, an idea forming as he caught sight of the truck in the corner.

"What's that? What's Hep V?" Molly demanded.

"It's this," Nora replied, pulling her shirt open slightly at the top, exposing the dark veins that riddled her chest.

"Holy…" Molly murmured, her eyes like saucers, "I'm so sorry, Nora," she said looking back up at her. Nora gave her a small, tired smile.

Eric turned to face them, "Go back in," he told Molly, "find Pam and tell her _not_ to drink the Tru Blood."

Molly nodded as watched Eric help Nora out of the lab coat, "Ok."

Eric gave her a curt nod as he handed her the coat and wrapped his arm securely around Nora's waist.

Molly reopened the door and watched as the pair stepped through. Eric paused, torn as he looked back at Molly and thought of Pam who was still locked away somewhere.

"I'll come back for you," he told her seriously, suddenly feeling protective as he looked down at the petite vampire, "I promise, but just remember-"

"I got it," she said briskly, cutting him off as she slipped into the lab coat, "now go."

He nodded again and disappeared through the door with Nora. Molly waited until she was sure they were safely away before she headed back into the facility to begin her search for Pam.

...

**A/N: Yep, it's Molly to rescue! Yay :) Now y'all understand why she stole a piece from the lock - obviously Eric couldn't summon her and Pam would be too much of a deviation...In other news, I have written up to 6x08 but will still stagger posting the chapters so I don't run out before I can write something for 6x09 :)  
**

**Thanks for the encouragement! x**


	27. Chapter 27

Pam paced the room in agitation, worried about what might be happening to her Maker. She'd felt his anguish and pain earlier in the evening, but it had since simmered down to a niggling sensation in the back of her mind.

Whilst it was a relief to know that he was still alive and (hopefully) no longer in danger, it was still a far cry from the messages he'd been sending her before.

She paused in her pacing as the door opened and Molly entered her cell.

"I thought you might be chained up," Molly commented as she carefully shut the door behind her.

"I was," Pam replied, crossing her arms, "but I've got a fan in the psych department. How did you get in here?"

Molly held up her left wrist, "I stole a piece of one of their locks," she explained, "it was relatively simple to adjust it for use as a pass key."

Pam raised an eyebrow, "And they seem so proud of their security measures."

"Please," Molly scoffed, "they don't even have CCTV."

"So, what's the plan?" Pam asked casually as she walked passed Molly to look out the window.

"Eric's escaped, but asked me to tell you he'd be back," Molly explained as Pam turned around, "he's gone to find help for Nora. She's been infected with something, Hep V I think he called it," she added.

"What the hell is that?" Pam demanded, as she realised that must have been the cause of Eric's anguish.

Molly shrugged, "I don't know, but they've introduced it to the Tru Blood they're going to start serving us. You can't drink it," she added.

Pam looked thoughtful, "Who else knows?"

"It's just you and me."

"Good, keep it that way," Pam ordered.

"What about Jessica?" Molly asked.

"You can tell Jessica," Pam amended, "but no one else. We can't let them know that we're on to them. Only chance of fixing this shit show is if they don't suspect us."

Molly nodded, "How are they treating you in here?" she asked after a moment.

Pam smirked, "Like a Princess, can't you tell?"

"It's not much better, but I could sneak you into Gen Pop," Molly suggested.

Pam's expression softened a little, "Too obvious, just…get yourself back in there," she said with a small smile, "I'll see you soon enough."

Molly nodded, "Be careful," she said over her shoulder as she let herself out.

"You too," Pam replied as she watched her leave.


	28. Chapter 28

Bill paused on the stairs, torn between surprise and annoyance, as Eric came through his front door, cradling Nora in his arms.

Eric caught sight of him on the stairs and looked up at him with pleading eyes, "I don't know what you are," he confessed, taking a step towards him, "all I know is I saw Sookie stake you and you survived. But if you are," he paused, "God, _please_ heal her for me," he begged.

For a moment, Bill wavered.

His experiments with Andy's daughters hadn't worked and he desperately needed to find Warlow if he had any hope of saving Jessica, then Nora made a pitiful mewling sound as she shifted in Eric's arms.

His mind made up, Bill indicated for Eric to follow him up to one of the spare rooms.

"I feel hot," Nora mumbled as Eric gently set her down on the bed, "how is that possible?"

Eric gave her a worried glance before he straightened and turned to Bill.

"Give her your blood," he demanded.

"No-no, please!" Nora begged, both men looked down at her, "It's Lilith's blood, I won't drink it," she said stubbornly.

"Sister, please," Eric begged, hovering over her and taking her hand.

"No brother," she insisted, "I'd rather die than drink Lilith's blood."

"You can't blame her," Bill told him quietly, "you saw what the blood did to us."

"And I don't care about that," Eric growled, straightening once more, "just _do_ it," he growled.

Bill took a tentative step towards him, his eyes full of compassion, "I can't do it, Eric."

Eric bared his fangs with a snarl, "Do it."

Bill regarded him sadly and shook his head, "This is her dying wish," he said softly, "we have to honour it."

Eric's fangs retracted with an audible snap as he took a step back, looking haunted as he took in Bill's words.

"Leave," he said finally, his voice hoarse with emotion as he looked back up at Bill. "Leave us!" he bellowed as Bill made no move to go.

Bill glanced between the siblings and nodded. He slipped wordlessly out of the room, shutting the door behind him to give them their privacy.


	29. Chapter 29

"So you can day-walk too, huh?"

At the sound of Eric's voice, Bill froze before he turned slowly to look up at him, "Yeah."

"How?" Eric demanded.

"I'll explain later," Bill told him, turning back to open the door.

"Do you think I wanted to come here, Bill?" Eric asked, coming down the stairs to join him, "I had nowhere else I could turn, I will do anything you ask," he said, stopping just within arm's reach. "Just tell me what it is and I'll do it. But, please give her your blood," he begged.

Bill regarded him for a long moment, "What if it doesn't work?"

"Do you want me to say the words?" Eric spat, "I believe you, I believe _in_ you." He paused, "I believe that you are divine."

Bill searched his face, fully away of how manipulative the other vampire could be. But Eric was sincere, or at least appeared to be.

"Shortly after you left here the other night," Bill began, taking a couple of steps away from him, "I went into a kind of state. I started having visions, visions that have come to pass. I can see the future Eric," he continued, his tone full of wonder, Eric merely looked impatient, "but there is one vision that has yet to manifest. I saw a white circular room in which Pam, Jessica and you…you all meet the sun in that room, Eric."

He watched as Eric's countenance changed at the mention of Pam's impending death, "That's why I'm going to get Warlow, now," Bill said as he came back to join him. "You do know who Warlow is?" he asked.

"I don't care who Warlow is," Eric grumbled, "just tell me what you want from me."

"He is both fairy and vampire," Bill explained as though Eric hasn't spoken, "it is his blood that is allowing me to walk in the sun, not Lilith's. But if I am to stop that vision from becoming manifest we have to get him and take him with us."

Eric raised his eyebrows, "Us?"

"You are in the _vision_, Eric," Bill insisted, "one way or another you are going to be in that room when the roof opens. If you come with me, maybe we can stop it."

"I'll go back with you," Eric said finally, "you have my word, if you help Nora."

Bill resisted the urge to sigh as he gauged Eric's determination, he nodded and followed Eric back up the stairs to where Nora was still lying on the bed.

They took a seat on either side of her; Bill bit into his wrist and held it over her mouth, allowing her to drink his blood.

Reluctantly, she began to drink, "Good," Eric cooed stroking her hair, "good, a little bit more. Good, good. I'm sorry," he said as she finally stopped drinking, "we had to try."

Nora looked up at him, too tired to argue, "I know brother, I know."

"Is it working, do you feel anything?" Eric asked urgently.

Nora grimaced, "I'm not sure."

She coughed, bringing up some blood as she did so; gently Eric wiped it away with a cloth.

"Anything?" he prompted again.

Nora's eyes drifted closed, "I feel…it's not as bad now."

"Warlow," he said suddenly, looking up at Bill, "it must be the blood you drank from him, if she drinks from him, it might work."

"No…listen," Nora said urgently, opening her eyes, "listen, everything Book of Lilith has said has been true. Warlow's blood can help me walk in the sun, but it can't heal me," she insisted, taking Eric's hand.

"It will," he assured her, "it's already started to," he added, watching as the veins on her neck lost some of their ferocity. He turned to Bill, "Go."

"Eric…" Bill began, but Eric cut him off with a look.

"Please," he begged.

Bill shared a doubtful look with Nora, "Off I go then…" he said reluctantly, squeezing her hand as he climbed off the bed.

He paused in the doorway to look back at Eric gently cleaning Nora's face with a cloth. He hoped – for all their sakes – that Eric hadn't been imagining things.


	30. Chapter 30

"Thank God," Pam said with a smirk as she leaned against the doorframe to the therapist's office, "I was just starting to feel confessional."

The therapist sent the guards away with a nod and Pam sauntered into the room.

"Shall I bring in Som-Chai?" he asked.

"That won't be necessary," she replied, lying down on the couch.

"Not hungry?"

"Not today."

"With the rations of blood you've been provided, I find that hard to believe," he said doubtfully.

"Really?" Pam asked as she adjusted her position on the couch, "As a student of Freud I thought you'd have a better grasp on the whole subject of _appetites_," she said suggestively.

She smothered a grin as she heard him shift in his seat, this really was far too easy.

"Actually," he said, coughing, "it's been the focus of most of my scholarship."

"Good," she said, rolling on to her side and watching with amusement as he squirmed again, "so when I say I'm not hungry because I'm horny, you get it."

He gulped, "Often, when one is denied sexual satiation, her appetite for food increases. Not the other way around."

"Who said I wasn't satiated?" Pam asked, rolling onto her back again, "You'd be surprised what a girl can accomplish in solitary," she informed him, it also helped when your Maker was passing on his more…engaging thoughts, but she wasn't about to share that aspect.

Besides, thoughts of Eric only reminded her of his anguish and she needed to focus on what she was doing. He shifted in his seat again, breaking her from her thoughts.

"How would you rate your sexual appetite compared to…?"

"High," she said matter-of-factly, "I was a whore in my human life, it wasn't a coincidence."

He shifted again and Pam hid another smirk, "And how would you say that manifested in your vampire life?"

"For one, I f*ck a lot," she said easily, "secondly, I own a bar – Fangtasia – where humans come to get off. I believe its success is due in large part to my understanding of human desire, the desire to be devoured or enveloped by a warm hungry animal or obliterated," she continued in a low tone, shifting to regard him through her eyelashes, "one juicy bite at a time. But you must hear all kinds of deviant shit in this office," she said abruptly, turning away from him, "my sexual knowledge is probably old hat to you."

"I, um, I'm…" she smirked as he stumbled over his words, "very interested in your specific knowledge."

She rolled slowly onto her side, "So you want inside...my head?" she drawled.

He nodded, breathing heavily, "Very much, yes."

She moved at vampire speed so that she was practically in his lap, "How deep do you wanna go?" she purred suggestively.

"Deep."

"I'll let you get in there," she promised him, "but only if you let me inside Gen Pop."

"I think that can be arranged," he rasped.

She smiled, "Good," she murmured as she shut her eyes and kissed him, thinking of Eric.

She pulled back and smirked at his dazed expression, before he could blink she had removed his contacts and had him under her influence.

"Now," she purred, "as far as you're concerned, we've had sex and it was _better_ than you even imagined."

He nodded, staring at her with a stupefied expression, not entirely different from the one he'd worn before she started to glamour him.

"You're going to let me into Gen Pop," she told him, "and you're not going to wear your contacts again," she added, "comprende?"

He nodded and she smiled as she climbed off him, "Good boy."

A few minutes later she left the office with the therapist in tow and was surprised to come face to face with Jessica who was being escorted back to Gen Pop by a guard who looked suspiciously like Jason Stackhouse.

She raised an eyebrow at Jessica who gave her a bashful look and shrugged a shoulder.

"Take Miss de Beaufort back to Gen Pop," the therapist ordered, Jason nodded and Pam obediently fell into step with Jessica.

Jessica looked over her shoulder to where the therapist was fixing his clothing, "Did you just have sex with him?" she asked, wrinkling her nose a little.

Pam smirked, "No, but _he_ thinks we did."

Jessica gave a delighted giggle, "What about his contacts?"

Pam smirked, "What contacts?" she asked, showing her the offending items.

Jessica gazed at the older vampire in admiration as they continued on their way back to Gen Pop, now that she was reunited with Pam things seemed just that little bit brighter.

...

**A/N: Seriously, if _Willa_ can remove the contacts from one of the guards why on earth can't Pam do the same? And, yeah, the whole Violet thing? Not gonna happen here, hence why Jason is still 'on duty.' We skipped the scene with Jessica and James though because...well, I couldn't really be bothered (and I'm guessing/hoping no one minds). Although, for the purposes of this story, they didn't have sex - Jess told him about the Tru Blood and then left. **

**Thanks for the reviews/follows/favourites x**


	31. Chapter 31

Eric sat hunched over in a chair by Nora's bedside. She looked so small and weak, but at least the veins that mottled her skin were lighter in colour and she was more comfortable than she had been.

She caught his eye and gave him a sad smile, "And so we end as we began," she said softly, "only this time there is no Godric to heal me."

Eric shifted so that he was sitting on the edge of her bed, "Don't talk like that, Nora, you're strong, you'll get through this."

"And if I don't?"

Eric shook his head stubbornly as he carefully took her hand, "You are not going to die."

She smiled again as her eyes drifted shut, "I'm glad you're here to comfort me."

"And who will comfort me for centuries to come if you leave me?" he asked, his voice taking on a desperate edge.

"Pamela," she breathed, opening her eyes slowly, "and Molly, you saw in them what you saw in me."

"But you will _never_ be replaced," he told her and she gave his hand a weak squeeze. "Please don't talk like this," he begged, "you'll get better – you have to. I…I promised you _forever._"

"Brother, I only ever asked to lived fully, you gave me that," she assured him.

Eric saw someone move out of the corner of his eye and he looked up to find Bill in the doorway.

"How long have you known _this_ was going to happen?" he asked, gesturing to Nora's prone form.

"I didn't."

"But you can see the future," Eric mocked.

"The visions, they come to me as they come," Bill explained, stepping into the room, "I have no control over what I see."

"Very convenient for you," Eric grumbled, turning his attention back to Nora as he smoothed her hair off her face.

"We still have a job to do together," Bill reminded him gently.

"My sister is dying," Eric reminded him, "and you are asking me to go fight your holy war?"

"We've been called upon to save these vampires," Bill said urgently, "all of them."

Eric glared at him over his shoulder, aside from Pam and Molly, he didn't care about any of the other vampires.

"F*ck off."

"I've upheld my end of the deal," Bill said, drawing himself up, "I have done everything I can to save her."

"Have you?" Eric challenged, standing up slowly, "You were supposed to come back with Warlow so we could give her his blood. I don't see him Bill, where is he?"

Bill looked uncomfortable, "Sookie has him."

"And out comes the truth," Eric mocked, rounding the bed, "the almighty prophet didn't want to pick a fight with his precious Sookie so he's going to let my sister die."

"She is going to bring him here," Bill rushed to explain, "and there's no guarantee that his blood will restore her."

"Brother-" Nora warned Eric weakly as he saw red, but he ignored her.

"Look at her!" Eric bellowed, gesturing to where Nora was prostrate on the bed, "She is _dying_, Bill, the blood you gave her has bought her some time but we need his blood to save her."

"What did Sookie say when you asked her?" Eric demanded hoarsely, towering over the other vampire, "Did she play on your heartstrings? Appeal to your love for her?"

Bill glowered at him and Eric stepped away for him, shaking his head.

"I've seen that look before," Eric said, "I was right wasn't I?"

Bill said nothing, but used his new powers to raise Eric into the air.

"Oh my G-d," Eric crowed, "I guess I _was_ right, because you are taking me for a ride with your _mind_ Bill! This is amazing! Mother I can fly! I can fly! Praise Bill!"

"Do you have a death wish?" Bill demanded as Eric continued to mockingly sing his praises.

Eric glowered down at him, "Praise you Bill for thou art beneficent!"

"Stop! Stop this!" Nora cried from the bed, attempting to sit up.

Both vampires turned to face her, each having the grace to look ashamed of themselves.

"There is enough fighting outside of this room without the pair of you making it worse," she told them, sinking back against the pillows. "There's more at stake here than my life," she added weakly as she closed her eyes.

Bill slowly lowered Eric back down to the ground, "You're right," he said quietly, bowing his head a little in shame.

Eric rushed over and knelt at Nora's bedside, taking her hand again, "Nora?" he asked urgently. He shook her arm slightly when she gave no response, he was striding out the door in the next moment.

"Where are you going?" Bill demanded.

"If you won't save her, then I will," Eric spat over his shoulder as he rushed out the door.

...

**A/N: I will only be updating one chapter at a time for the moment so that the updates stay constant until I have written/fixed up 6x09. Thanks for the reviews/favourites/follows x**


	32. Chapter 32

Molly looked up and smiled as the doors to Gen Pop opened the reveal Jessica and Pam.

"What happened?" she asked as she came over to join them.

"I saw Jason," Jessica explained with barely contained girlish glee, "he said he's come here to rescue me."

Pam rolled her eyes, but Molly didn't miss the flicker of affection in the older vampire's eyes as she looked at Jessica.

"Don't get too excited, Cheeto," Pam counselled, "don't forget that this is Jason Stackhouse." She put a hand on her hip, "If there's a choice between getting out of here or dying in the attempt, he'll probably die in the attempt."

Some of Jessica's enthusiasm dimmed, "Bill will come," she said finally, brightening a little and missing Pam roll her eyes again, looking decidedly uncharitable.

"And Eric said he'd come back," Molly reminded them, before Pam could comment.

Pam inclined her head slightly in agreement. She hadn't felt much from Eric lately, except for the occasional wave of reassurance whenever she sought him out through their bond.

She knew that he would never let any harm come to her, but at the same time she was aware that – for the moment at least – Nora was his first priority. Unless the situation drastically changed, he wasn't going to be hurrying back any time soon.

She regarded the two hopeful younger vampires in front of her; she would give him (and maybe Bill) a couple more days. If neither of them showed up in that time, she was getting them out of here herself.

"Good news ladies," a voice called from the level above, breaking Pam from her musings. "Tru Blood is back, no more iddy-bitty rations – y'all get a whole bottle."

The other vampires eagerly rushed towards the rations counter; Pam gave Jessica and Molly a warning look as she led the way to the line that was forming.

"What if they make us drink it?" Jessica whispered.

"They won't," Pam replied in a low tone, "they want us to die, if they notice they'll just find another way to kill us." She pursed her lips as she watched the other vampires opening their bottles of Tru Blood, "They won't make an issue out of it or the word will spread."

"I told James," Jessica confessed, looking down at her feet.

Pam glanced at her, "Who?"

"James," Jessica repeated, "he's…I met him the other day, he refused to…you know," she trailed off uncomfortably as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and Pam frowned at the thought of Jessica being used in such a way. Jessica shook herself slightly, looking back up, "So I wanted to repay him somehow," she finished.

"Fine," Pam conceded, "but don't tell _anyone_ else."

The other two vampires nodded as they dutifully accepted their bottles of Tru Blood.

...

**A/N: Sorry this is a bit short, but 6x08 was one of those episodes where the vampire/interesting bits literally took up only 10 minutes in the whole episode.**


	33. Chapter 33

Meanwhile, back in Bon Temps, Eric loomed out of the darkness as he watched Sookie appear in a flash of light and stomp off through the graveyard. He listened with half an ear as she muttered something about dating and eternity until he was certain that she was gone.

Stepping around a rather large gravestone, he made his way over to where Sookie had appeared. Gingerly he reached out with his hand, searching for the entrance to whatever portal she must have used.

He frowned as his search proved fruitless; feeling like a fool he started to wave his arm around, searching.

His nose twitched as he picked up the scent of a fairy nearby and all the pieces clicked together in his mind: Sookie must have taken him to the fairy realm. He smirked as he started to follow the scent of the unknown fairy; how fortunate that the missing element he needed to enter the fairy realm was close by.

He found her in a clearing close to the graveyard, shirtless and wrapped up in the arms of a teenage boy. "She looks tasty," he commented, flashing his fangs.

The pair looked up and the girl shrieked, "Vampire!"

Eric smiled down at them as they broke apart and the girl started to pull her shirt back on.

"I need to borrow your girlfriend," he informed the boy.

He gulped, "Please don't hurt her mister," he begged.

Eric retracted his fangs, pleased in spite of himself that the boy was willing to defend her. "Nobody has to get hurt here," he assured them. He glanced to the side and regarded the other teenaged boy who had been slumped on one of the graves. "Who's that?" he asked, turning back to the first boy.

"My brother."

"Would you kindly ask your brother to come stand beside you?" Eric asked patiently.

He watched as the boy got to his feet, eyeing Eric warily as he called his brother over. Eric smiled at them both as they stood in front of them, before bringing them both under his influence. "You boys never saw me, understand?"

"Yes sir," they said in unison as the girl scrambled to her feet and ran off into the night.

Eric watched her go for a moment, before turning back to the boys, "And the girl, what is her name?"

"Adilyn."

"Adilyn," he said with a smile, "well you never saw Adilyn either, understand?" They both nodded and Eric turned to the first boy. "And you, young man, most certainly did not get her shirt off," the boy nodded and Eric gave him a slightly pitying look, "sorry I have to take that one from you but I have to."

Eric stepped around them to pick up their coats, "All right, go home," he ordered, shoving the coats in their direction.

He waited long enough to check that the boys were following his instructions before he rushed off at vampire speed after the girl. He caught her easily and sunk his fangs deep into her throat, ignoring her screams.

Fortunately, for her, he was old enough to take his fill without draining her and he left her almost as quickly as he had come.

Now that he was able to enter the fairy realm he had to get Warlow – or at least his blood – so that he could save Nora and his beloved Child.

Nothing and no one was going to stand in his way.

...

**A/N: I apologise for this being short (again), but I have done some transcriptions for 6x09 now so I should have some new chapters written up soon x**


	34. Chapter 34

Pam tried to hide her concern as a group of guards stepped into Gen Pop, searching the room.

"Those three, over there," said their leader as he walked over to their table.

Pam stood up slowly as they surrounded the table, "Let me guess," she drawled, "you boys are…male strippers?"

Molly hid a smirk as she looked away, Eric and Pam certainly had a unique way of handling situations.

"You're coming with us, vamper," the leader snapped, ignoring her comment, "and you two," he said, looking passed Pam at Jessica and Molly. "On your feet," he ordered.

Pam gave a brief nod over her shoulder and the pair silently stood up, sending nervous glances at the guards as they did so.

"Care to explain what this is all about?" Pam asked as the trio left the room flanked by the guards.

"All vampires have to take their rations," the leader replied as they came to a halt outside a closed door, "you refused."

He gave her a nasty smile as he opened the door to reveal the all too familiar white room; he gestured with his weapon for them to go inside and they obediently filed in.

Pam frowned as she recognised Steve Newlin sitting unhappily against the wall, he looked up at her with sad eyes and she resisted the urge to growl at him. The other occupant of the room, another male vampire, stood up as they entered.

"Jessica," he said, moving over to join her.

Pam raised an eyebrow, realising that he must be the oh-so-chivalrous James.

"I'm so sorry I told you," Jessica sobbed, "I'm so sorry."

"It's ok," he assured her.

Jessica shook her head stubbornly, "It's not ok," she insisted, looking up at the ceiling. James followed her gaze in confusion.

Following Jessica's gaze, Pam got a bad feeling about the opening in the roof and glanced at Molly, who also looked concerned.

Steve jumped to his feet, "What?" he demanded, rushing over to Jessica, "What do you know?"

Jessica shifted her gaze from the ceiling to his stricken face, "We're all going to meet the sun in here."

Steve made a sound like a wounded animal as he backed away, looking up at the ceiling with a stricken expression.

"What are you talking about?" James demanded, placing his hands on Jessica's shoulders, "How can you know that?"

"This is the room," Jessica told him, a hint of hysteria in her tone, "the one that Bill saw…" she turned away from James to look at Pam. "We're all going to die," she whispered as her face crumpled, "Bill isn't going to make it in time…"

Pam grabbed her by the upper arms, "We are _not_ going to die," she insisted, giving Jessica a little shake, "I'm going to let that happen, ok?" Jessica nodded, looking miserable, "Don't cry," Pam ordered.

Jessica sniffled, "Ok," she said, moments before she broke down.

Pam gave a long-suffering sigh as she instinctively pulled the younger vampire into a tight embrace; tentatively Jessica returned the gesture, desperately seeking comfort. "It will be all right," Pam repeated, absently rocking her.

"We can't open the door from the inside," Molly reported, coming over to join them after examining the room. "I can't use my security chip to get us out," she added, chewing her lip thoughtfully.

"Any other ideas?" Pam asked, looking over the top of Jessica's head at the other vampires in the room.

Steve remained cowering against the wall, hugging himself and sobbing; James shrugged as he continued to regard the ceiling.

"Perfect," Pam drawled, looking back at Molly and rolling her eyes.

"I guess I can try and get into the wiring," Molly suggested, although Pam could tell by her tone that she didn't hold much hope that it would work.

Pam shrugged a shoulder, "It's better than just sitting here."

Molly nodded and headed over to the door. Pam watched her work for a few minutes, still absently rocking Jessica in her arms, before she closed her eyes and sought out Eric.

...

**A/N: Yeah, so I may not have enough chapters to cover until I do 6x10. Hope you don't mind the one chapter a day posting in the interim - having lots of fun re-writing 6x09 :D**

**Thanks for the reviews/favourites/follows - hope y'all are still enjoying it! x**


	35. Chapter 35

"What the f*ck do you think you're doing?"

At the sound of Sookie's voice, Eric looked up from draining Warlow to find her and Bill staring down at him. Sookie looked absolutely horrified and Eric could only assume that he was meant to be intimidated by the livid expression on Bill's face.

He wasn't.

"Feeding," Eric replied simply.

Sookie narrowed her eyes, "Get away from him, Eric," she ordered.

Eric shrugged and got slowly to his feet, taking a couple of steps back as Sookie rushed to Warlow's side.

"Don't you see what you've done?" Bill demanded, fuming, "You've just sentenced those vampires – Jessica, Molly, _Pam_ - all of them, to _death_," he spat.

Eric smirked, "What's the matter Bill? Are you upset because I found him first?"

Bill growled and took a threatening step towards him, fangs barred.

"Stop it!" Sookie yelled. "Bill, he's dying," she continued, looking up at him with pleading eyes, "he needs your blood."

"Yes, Bill," Eric agreed in a simpering voice, "he needs your blood."

"Where are you going?" Bill demanded as Eric started to walk away.

"I'm off to save my sister," Eric told him, "and then, I'm going to save my progeny." He paused, "Does that make _me_ the vampire saviour?" he asked in mock amazement, before vanishing out of the fairy realm.

Eric was still chuckling over the look on Bill's face as he made his way up the stairs to the room Nora was in. His smile faded as he took in the sight of her still unconscious on the bed.

"I found him, Nora," he said quietly, coming into the room, "but I couldn't bring him to you. I've brought the next best thing," he continued, as he took a seat on the edge of her bed.

He bit into his wrist and held it over her mouth, "Drink well, my sister," he murmured.

At first the blood simply dripped into her mouth, but eventually her eyes fluttered slightly and she suddenly latched onto his wrist with her fangs. "Good," Eric murmured as she continued to drink her fill.

He watched as the dark veins started to fade away and her feeding became stronger, "Excellent," he murmured as she opened eyes to look up at him. He smiled and she slowly backed off, before she released his arm and lay back against the pillows.

"Thank you, brother," she whispered, retracting her fangs.

Eric smirked as he healed the wound in his arm, "I guess this means your Book of Lilith was wrong."

She gave him a small smile, "Perhaps."

Eric reached out and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, before tapping her on the nose affectionately.

"Are you-?"

The rest of his question was lost as he felt a slight pull from Pam through their bond. It wasn't exactly fear, but it was enough for him to know she was in danger.

Nora sat up slightly at his worried expression, "What is it?" she asked, touching his hand.

"Pam," he said softly.

"You should go to her," Nora told him, "don't worry about me, I'll be fine," she assured him as he hesitated.

Eric shot her a grateful look and was gone.

...

**A/N: To me Nora's death seemed (almost) as pointless as Molly's was, so I decided not to kill her either :)**


	36. Chapter 36

It was an odd sensation, to feel the impending dawn without any urgency to go to ground. No wonder Bill had let the power go to his head, Eric mused as the first rays of the sun skittered across his skin.

For the first time in over a thousand years, Eric felt no pain as the sun warmed his skin. Momentarily forgetting his purpose, he stopped and lifted his face to the sun, closing his eyes as he reveled in the warmth.

He sighed happily.

His contentment changed abruptly back to concern as he felt Pam's spike of anxiety through their bond, he quickened his pace.

If Bill's predictions were correct, he didn't have much time.

Traveling at vampire speed it didn't take long for the facility to come into view, he never thought that he'd be so happy to see it again.

He made short work of the guards outside and, taking the arm off the one closest to him, he let himself back in.

Almost immediately he got lost inside the labyrinth of corridors; he growled in frustration as he found himself at yet another dead end.

"_Or watch me die…"_

Pam's words from the night of her turning came back to haunt him as he tried not to think about what might happen if he didn't make it to her in time.

She had never really been afraid to die, just to die alone and forgotten.

As a Viking, Eric had respected that attitude; for himself, he only feared one thing: losing her.

That being said, he also felt a responsibility for Molly and he would never forgive himself if he had saved her from the True Death at the hands of the Authority only for her to meet it now.

And then there was Jessica…

He brushed all thoughts of the three vampires aside, he didn't have time to dwell on his responsibilities or his worries; he had to focus on finding them.

"This is ridiculous," he muttered to himself as he rounded another corner and found himself outside yet another locked door.

He smirked, forgetting some of his annoyance, as he looked though the peephole to find the doctor who'd infected Nora.

The doctor jumped as Eric threw open the door and stepped inside, "Northman," he breathed.

Eric cocked his head to the side, "Dr. Overlark," he greeted him.

In the next moment he was standing in front of the other man, "My sister sends her regards," he told him as he reached out and ripped the other man's heart out of his chest.

Dr. Overlark sputtered blood, looking up at Eric with horrified eyes before falling to the ground.

Eric regarded the heart thoughtfully, "And I could have sworn you didn't have one," he said, tossing it back down on Dr. Overlark's bloodied corpse as he left the room.

...

**A/N: I wasn't sure if I'd have time to post this tomorrow and then I thought I might, but Katie _did_ say she'd prefer to have it today rather than two chapters on Sunday if I couldn't post it. So...I will post it now just in case I can't tomorrow. Hope you liked it :)**

**Oh, I decided to change the way the doctor died because...well, I wanted to do the line about having no heart :P**


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N: Well, it turns out I do have time to post a chapter today and I should have enough chapters written to take me until I can write for 6x10. So...bonus chapter! :D Hope you enjoy x**

"It's morning," Jessica murmured, raising her head from Pam's shoulder to look fearfully up at the ceiling.

"See? Nothing to worry about," James said from where he was sitting nearby, shooting her a kind smile.

"Maybe they're not going to kill us," Steve said hopefully, smiling brightly.

"Or maybe they're lulling us into a false sense of security," Molly replied darkly from where she sat on the other side of Pam; still sulking as she'd been unable to get anything useful from the door.

Pam nudged her, nodding in Jessica's direction with a warning expression.

"Or they just wanted to scare us," Molly amended, looking a little guilty as she noticed the way Jessica was huddled into Pam's side.

"Jason might come for us," Jessica mumbled with a touch of wistfulness as she rested her head back on Pam's shoulder.

"What is it?" Molly asked, noticing the small smile that had graced Pam's face.

Pam's smile widened as she felt some of his frustration, "Eric, he's here."

In reality, Eric was beyond frustrated – he was _livid_.

Although he'd managed to find several vampires in his quest throughout the facility, and subsequently set them all free, he'd made no progress in his search for Pam. Even seeking her out through their bond had proved useless as he'd found himself confronted with several locked doors.

He knew where she was, he just couldn't work out how to get there.

He was quietly seething in front of yet another locked room when he heard a low groan from one of the guards that littered the hallways. Pleased to have found someone to take out his frustration on, he was surprised to find that he recognised him.

"Jason Stackhouse," he said, clearly amused as he sauntered over, "looking good my friend," he added, taking note of his injuries.

Jason looked up at him with pain filled eyes, "They took them all away…Jess…Pam…I was trying…" he trailed off, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, "ambushed."

Eric narrowed his eyes, regarding his critically, "Now the last time I saw you, you were spouting some pretty hateful ideas."

Jason nodded, "I know I was," he said quietly, sounding a little ashamed.

Eric's expression turned assessing as he detected a change of heart, "How well do you know your way around this place?"

"Pretty f*cking well."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

His decision made, Eric knelt down beside him. "Help me remember," he said, his wrist halfway to his mouth, "have I ever healed you before?"

Jason took a moment to think about it, "I don't think so."

Eric smiled, "Well then you are in for a treat," he told him as he bit into his wrist. "Now when you dream of me, dream of nice things," he ordered, allowing some of his blood to dribble into Jason's mouth.


	38. Chapter 38

Eric had to give Jason some credit, he decided as he followed him down another corridor, he hadn't been lying when he said he knew his way around. They were getting closer to where Pam was being held, he could feel it.

He glanced through one of the windows as he walked by and smirked when he caught sight of the therapist being interrogated by a group of vampires. He backtracked to lean against the doorway, shooting the therapist a knowing smile.

"Hello vampires," he said pleasantly, "could I have a minute alone with the good doctor please?"

For a brief moment the therapist looked terrified, "No," he spluttered, attempting to get away.

Eric stepped into the room, "Now."

Recognising his seniority, the vampires all scattered, leaving the pair alone in the room. Absently Eric noticed Jason come and stand in the doorway, watching them with a confused expression.

"You forgot to ask me something," Eric began conversationally, taking a seat in front of the therapist.

"Excuse me?"

"During our sessions," Eric clarified, "there was something you forgot to ask me. You should've asked me how you were going to die, so you could've prepared yourself," he continued, almost amiably as he flashed his fangs and leaned in closer.

The therapist regarded him with fear-filled eyes for a moment, before he started to laugh. It was eerily similar to his conversation with the Governor and Eric wondered for a fleeting moment if he was losing his touch.

"The truth is," the therapist told him, "I don't really care."

Eric raised an eyebrow, "No?"

"I'm going to die a happy man," the therapist continued, watching him closely, "would you like to know why that is?"

Eric leaned back in his chair, "Sure, I'll bite."

The therapist smiled smugly, "I f*cked your progeny."

"Oh you did _not_ just go there," Jason exclaimed, before Eric could respond, sounding torn between awe and surprise. "That's going to cost you doc," he added.

The therapist just continued to regard Eric with a smug expression, Eric regarded him with malice and distinct distaste. He cocked his head to the side, noting that he didn't have his contacts in.

Interesting.

"Is this true?" he demanded hoarsely, putting him under his influence, "What you are saying, did you have sex with _Pam_?"

"She said she used to be a whore," the therapist answered softly and Eric almost snarled in his anger.

He'd saved her from that life and promised her (and himself) that she would never have to live like that again. He was disgusted with himself that she'd been brought so low again in his absence.

"We made a deal," the therapist continued, "sex in return for her release from solitary."

Eric took a deep breath that he didn't need to calm some of his rage, he paused and took a cautious sniff of the air. Despite what the therapist was saying, he didn't smell like his progeny or even like he'd has sex recently.

Eric smirked as he stood up, Pam was good. Very good.

"Let's go," Eric said finally, surprising the therapist and Jason.

"Wait, you're not going to kill me?" the therapist asked as Eric grabbed him by the collar.

"No I'm not, we're going to go find Pam and then _she_ is going to kill you," Eric told him. "I believe she has _more_ than deserved the right you disgusting cretin," he added.

The therapist cowered as he was dragged for the room, but Eric still thought he should count himself lucky he _hadn't_ done anything and that Eric was going to allow Pam to kill him; she'd likely make her revenge quick. Eric would have tortured him slowly for days for even _thinking_ he could debase Pam in such a manner.

They made it partway down the corridor when Eric was distracted by screams coming from a room close by he smiled.

"I know that scream," he said, almost affectionately, "hold this," he added, handing the therapist over to Jason; without waiting for him to respond, Eric made his way to the room and opened the door.

Sure enough, in the middle of the room full of humans, screaming her heart out, was Eric's favourite pet. She stopped screaming the moment she saw him.

"Hello Ginger," he greeted her, smiling as the other humans backed away.

"Well if it isn't my knight in shining armour," she said, relieved.

"Actually, I didn't come for you," he told her easily, "but I'll take it as an added bonus," he added with a wink.

Leaving the door open behind him, he returned to where he'd left Jason and the therapist. As he'd expected, Ginger followed close on his heels.

The other humans made a break for it.

...

**A/N: We are getting close, my little cabbages, don't worry x**

**Once again, thanks for the reviews/favourites/follows! :)**


	39. Chapter 39

**A/N: Here it is, my little cabbages - hope it's worth the wait! x**

He was close.

Pam smiled to herself as she reveled in the knowledge that Eric was coming for her.

The sound of the door to the room opening caught her attention; she got to her feet, noting absently that the others did the same. She rocked on the balls of her feet, eager for the first glimpse of her Maker.

Suddenly the door was flung open and Bill Compton stepped into the room.

There were no words for the depths of Pam's disappointment.

"Bill," Jessica breathed, brushing passed Pam as she ran to him.

"What the f*ck are you doing here?" Pam spat.

"I've come to save your f*cking life," Bill shot back, hugging Jessica close.

Pam crossed her arms, "How?" she asked drily, raising an eyebrow as the door closed behind him.

"You need to drink my blood," Bill replied, addressing the whole room.

The other vampires glanced at each other uncertainly as Jessica pulled back slightly to look in his eyes. "All of us?" she asked uncertainly.

Bill nodded, "All of you."

"And how exactly will that help?" Molly asked, eyeing him warily.

Bill grinned at her, "I walked in the sun," he said simply, "I can save you from the True Death," he continued, looking at each vampire in turn, "but you will have to drink my blood."

Jessica regarded him for a long moment before barring her fangs and sinking them deep into his shoulder. The others were quick to follow her lead, all except Pam who hesitated.

She glanced up as they heard the sound of the mechanisms for the roof being set into motion, her eyes met Bill's.

"I don't see that you have a choice," he told her calmly as the others continued to feed.

Pam barred her fangs with a snarl and sank them deep into one of his legs.

A few minutes later, Eric, Jason, Ginger and the therapist entered the observation room.

"F*cking gross," Jason commented as they gathered around the window and watched as the vampires drank from Bill.

Eric glanced up at the roof in concern as it continued to open, his eyes snapped back to the group as he heard Steve Newlin. He watched for a few moments as the other vampire tried to gain access to Bill.

"Scoot," he pleaded, "My turn. Let me in! Please I barely got a taste!" He jumped back against the wall as Jessica pushed him away with a snarl, "Please y'all I don't want to die!"

Steve looked up as the door to the room opened again, this time pulled completely off its hinges. He was about to escape, when Eric caught him by the neck, forcing him back inside.

"Why?" he asked, clutching at Eric's hand in a desperate attempt to free himself, "What did I do?"

"Every time someone I love has been in danger, you've been there," Eric said in a low tone.

"Northman," Bill ordered, his voice hoarse with pain, "let him have my blood."

"No," Eric growled, "he's a f*cking turncoat." He tightened his hold on Steve's neck, "How do you think they ended up here in the first place?"

"DIE F*CKERS!"

Eric glanced up at Sarah's cry and saw that the roof was now completely open, he looked back at Steve with a malicious smile.

"Please," Steve begged, "I was weak, I won't be in future."

Eric's eyes narrowed, "You have no future."

"No, no!" Steve screamed as Eric thrust him into the sun light, "I love you…Jason Stackhouse!"

Eric watched dispassionately as Steve burst into flames before being reduced to a puddle of blood. Dimly he could hear Ginger screaming in the next room, but he only had eyes for the beautiful blonde who was now standing in front of him.

He reached out to trace the side of Pam's face with his finger, brushing some of the hair off her face. She sighed and leaned into his touch, closing her eyes.

He smiled a little in amusement at the jumble of emotions he could feel from her, apparently Lilith's blood was still as intoxicating as he remembered. She slowly opened her eyes to gaze up at him adoringly.

"I saved the therapist for you," he told her, indicating towards the mirror-window of the observation room.

A slow smile spread across her face as she followed his gesture, "You always take such good care of me," she drawled, looking back up at him.

He smirked as she languidly wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself against him. "I missed you," she murmured, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him deeply.

Instinctively his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer and she smiled against his lips before pulling away. "Mm…hold that thought," she breathed as she disappeared at vampire speed.

Eric stared after her, smiling as he heard Ginger scream again: he was right, she did make quick work of the therapist.

"Where have you been?" Molly asked, breaking him from his thoughts as she tripped over Bill who was now sprawled on the floor.

"I got a little side tracked," he told her, reaching out to steady her.

"What _is_ it with men and asking for directions?" she asked looking up at him. She caught sight of the sun and shifted her attention from his face to the hole in the roof, "It's so beautiful…" she breathed, "I had almost forgotten what it was like."

She closed her eyes and smiled, "Don't you think the sun is pretty?" she asked, looking back at him.

Behind her, Eric caught sight of Pam coming back into the room, delicately wiping the blood from the corners of her mouth. He smiled, "Beautiful."

Pam caught sight of him watching her and propped herself up against the door frame in an attempt to look seductive. Although, in her intoxicated state, she didn't _quite _pull it off.

Not that she'd ever had to try all that hard to seduce him.

Molly followed his gaze and giggled, "That's not the sun, that's Pam," she told him. Brushing passed him, she joined Pam in the doorway, taking her hand, "It's the sun, Pam," she said excitedly, "come on," she added, dragging her out the door.

Pam giggled as she followed her, blithely blowing a kiss in Eric's direction.

Eric smothered a grin as he followed the pair out, he was going to enjoy teasing them about this once they recovered from their high. The other vampires followed close on his heels; laughing as they left behind the puddle of blood that had once been Steve Newlin and Bill, who was still lying forgotten on the floor.


	40. Chapter 40

Eric held up a hand to shield his eyes from the sun as he stepped out into the light. He frowned a little when he didn't catch sight of Pam, but he _did_ see the cases of Tru Blood waiting for shipment.

He stalked over to the pile, picking up the closest crate he threw it against a nearby building. The other vampires cheered and joined in, staining the ground red as they thought of different means to destroy the Tru Blood.

Eric watched in amusement as Ginger entered the fray, gleefully smashing bottles alongside the vampires and blissfully unaware of any danger she might be in. He shook his head, at least the others had all fed and were too distracted by their new found ability to day-walk to notice the scrawny human.

The time would still come when they did, but he'd make sure they were aware that she belonged to him before anything could happen to her. After all, he was rather fond of her.

He glanced up and froze.

Standing off to the side was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen: his Child bathed in sunlight.

Her eyes were closed as she tilted her face towards the sun and his own eyes trailed over her, committing everything to memory; from the soft smile on her face to the way her hair glistened in the sunlight.

Everything about her was perfection and he wanted nothing more than to stay in that moment, gazing at her, forever.

For the second time that day she caught him ogling her and she cocked her head with a smile as he came to join her.

"Like what you see?" she teased, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Very much," he replied, with a smile as he hoisted her up into his arms and kissed her passionately.

She smiled against his lips as she wrapped her legs around his waist, "Let's get out of here," she murmured in his ear as they broke apart.

"Whatever you say, milady," he teased as he tightened his hold on her and began to carry her away.

In the background, the vampires continued to destroy the Tru Blood, but Eric's focus was on the woman in his arms. Although he spared a brief smile for Molly and Jessica as they came to join them.

They were soon joined by Jason and Ginger and had almost made it out of the compound when Jessica suddenly stopped in her tracks, looking back over her shoulder.

"Jess?" Jason asked, coming over to her side.

She blinked and looked up at him, "We left Bill behind."

She turned to head back, but Jason grabbed her arm, "Whoa, where are you going?"

"I have to go back," she told him, "he's calling me."

"Then I'm going with you," Jason said decisively.

"Me too," Molly said.

"Me three," Ginger agreed with more exuberance than Eric thought was necessary.

Eric gave a long-suffering sigh as they looked at him expectantly.

"I suppose we'll have to come too," he said finally, putting Pam down. She made a small sound of protest and he kissed her forehead, "The sooner we get Bill, the sooner we can finish what we started," he promised her, taking her hand.

"Fine," she grumbled, covering his hand with both of hers.

Jessica smiled at them and began to lead the way back towards the white room.

Eric shot a regretful look in Pam's direction, he only hoped Bill would appreciate the sacrifices he was making for him.

Again.


	41. Chapter 41

The group stopped in the doorway to the white room and regarded Bill's prone form.

"Leave me alone…" Bill mumbled.

"Okie dokie," Pam said, making to go; but Eric was still holding her hand and he pulled her back, trying to look stern but unable to completely hide his amusement. "What? We tried," she protested, feigning innocence; Eric shook his head, fighting off a smirk and kissed her on the nose. She smirked up at him.

"Who's he talking to?" Jason asked, ignoring the pair and glancing at Jessica.

"I don't know," she said worriedly, "I can barely feel his pull any more. Bill?" she asked, taking a tentative step into the room.

"Stay away from me," Bill ordered and Jessica stopped short.

"Me?" she asked, sounding a little hurt, she glanced back at the group uncertainly.

"You should go to him," Jason encouraged her.

She bit her lip and turned back to look at Bill, "It's me Bill," she told him, kneeling beside him, "it's ok," she whispered, stroking his hair.

"They're coming for me," he murmured, looking passed her, "Lilith sent them. They're getting closer," he added, sounding almost frightened as he looked up at her.

"Now what do I do?" Jessica asked, looking desperately back at the group in the doorway.

"Feed him," Eric commanded, striding into the room with Pam on his heels.

"Vampire blood doesn't heal vampires," Jessica protested.

"It just did," Eric reminded her in a gentler tone.

"Whatever was in his blood saved us," Pam said, kneeling beside the younger vampire, "maybe you can give some back to him."

Jessica looked like she was holding back tears as she looked between Pam and Bill, "Can you…?" she trailed off, biting her lip.

"I'll do it," Molly offered coming to kneel on the opposite side of Bill.

Jessica looked at her gratefully as Molly bit into her wrist and held it over Bill's mouth, "Drink," she ordered when he remained motionless.

At the sound of Jessica's whimper, Jason came to kneel beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Please, Bill," Jessica whispered, blinking back her tears, "for me."

Molly let some of her blood trickle into his mouth and lowered her wrist as his fangs dropped, Jessica sagged against Jason in relief as Bill began to drink.

She looked over at Molly gratefully as Bill started to regain some of his strength, "Thank you," she whispered. Molly gave her a small smile in return as Bill finished feeding.

"Time to go," Eric said as Jessica helped Bill sit up.

"Thank you," Bill said, looking around at the group, "for coming back."

"Well, I am the vampire saviour," Eric said drily.

Bill narrowed his eyes and Eric snickered, "Sorry," he apologised, "I know that title actually belongs to another." Eric bit back a smirk as he watched Bill preen slightly, "How is Warlow doing by the way?" he asked pleasantly.

"He's fine," Bill replied through clenched teeth.

"Ah, Sookie still has him then," Eric said with a smirk.

Bill chose to ignore his comment as he got to his feet, "Let's go," he said, leaning heavily on Jessica as he led the way out of the room.

Eric grinned as he wrapped an arm around Pam's waist, "Warlow?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Lilith's progeny and the reason we can now walk in the sun," he explained as they followed Bill out of the room.

She nodded, "And how's Nora?" she asked, wrapping her arm around his waist.

"Better," he replied, pulling her closer, "so there are no distractions," he whispered in her ear.

She smirked, "Good."

...

**A/N: Couldn't resist, I _had_ to have the 'okie dokie' line :P**

**Thanks for the reviews/favourites/follows x**


	42. Chapter 42

To be quite honest, watching the other vampires frolic in the sun, still high on Lilith's blood, was beginning to wear a little thin. In fact, Eric was only still with the group because they were heading back to Bill's house and he wanted to collect Nora.

Although he had to admit that watching Pam do cartwheels along the way was rather entertaining.

Molly's attempts hadn't been quite so graceful, but she did look rather cute wearing the daisy chain Pam had made for her. He couldn't say the same for Bill, who had dutifully accepted the chain Pam had made for him and even submitted with good grace to her raucous laughter after he put it on.

She was still sending him sidelong glances and giggling.

Eric didn't think he'd ever heard (or even seen) anything more beautiful and was about to say so, when Pam suddenly disappeared from his side at vampire speed.

He watched in stunned confusion as she made a beeline for Bill's house where Nora stood on the front veranda. At the sight of his sister, Eric also took off at vampire speed, skidding to a stop as Pam pulled Nora into a tight embrace.

"Nora!" she greeted her cheerfully, pulling back to look in her eyes, "I'm actually f*cking glad to see you," she said, giggling as she hugged her again.

_What is wrong with her?_ Nora mouthed over Pam's shoulder as she returned the embrace.

_Lilith_, Eric mouthed back as Pam pulled away again.

"Watch this!" she ordered excitedly, skipping back down the stairs and executing five perfect cartwheels in a row. "Ta-da!" she crowed as she landed on her feet after the final cartwheel.

"Um…well done," Nora said uncertainly, glancing at Eric.

Pam beamed before she ran off to join Molly and Jessica, Nora watched the three vampires start dancing ring-a-ring-o-roses before looking back at her brother.

"So, what's your excuse?" she asked finally, raising an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?" Eric asked, tearing his eyes off his Child.

"Daisies?" Nora asked, looking amused.

Eric gave her a confused look until he remembered what he was wearing, "Pam," he explained, hastily pulling the daisy chain off his head. "She decided to make flower crowns for everyone," he added, stuffing the offending item in his pocket.

"Flower crowns?"

"Yes."

The two siblings stood in silence for a moment, watching the other vampires dance around in the sun and start setting up a volleyball net. Eric leaned casually against the balustrade and scanned the crowd for Ginger, relaxing slightly when he saw her off to the side chatting with Jason.

He smiled as he watched Pam flop down on the grass, side by side with Molly and Jessica; the three of them giggling and whispering like school girls.

"I can't stay here, brother," Nora said after a moment, Eric looked at her over his shoulder. "I don't know if that's even what you wanted but…" she trailed off as she came to stand next to him, resting her hands on the balustrade. "I thought I might go back to England for a while," she continued, "visit the old house, get away from it all."

Eric nodded, looking back over to where Pam was sprawled on the grass, "I'm not so sure that I want to stay here either," he confessed, "I was thinking of doing something similar."

"And Pam?" Nora asked quietly, following his gaze.

Eric's expression softened, "I think I know her answer, but I won't force her to do anything she doesn't want to."

Nora snorted, "She'll follow you to the ends of the earth," she told him, "she loves you."

"I know," Eric said, watching as Pam sat up, hugging her knees to her chest as she watched Jessica and Molly run off to join the volleyball. "I love her too," he added as she caught his eye and smiled.

"What about Molly?"

Eric shot Nora an amused look, "She knows her own mind," he said, turning back in time to see the younger vampire miscalculate as she served the volleyball causing her to fall, laughing, to the ground. Eric shook his head, "But I would feel better if I had her with me."

"You always did like to have an entourage," Nora teased.

Eric laughed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "I shall miss you, sister."

"It won't be forever," Nora promised, wrapping her arms around his waist.

Eric wrapped his other arm around her and kissed the top of her head, "Good."

Nora smiled before gently pushing him away, "Now go keep your Child out of trouble."

"That might be difficult," Eric told her, as they made their way down the stairs, "because I fully intend to lead her astray."

Nora laughed and shook her head, "Take care of yourself, brother."

He paused at the bottom of the stairs, "Always," he promised, "stay safe."

Nora smiled at his serious expression, "Of course," she replied, impulsively kissing his cheek before she took flight.

Eric watched her progress for a few moments before continuing on his way to join Pam.

...

**A/N: So, I only have a couple more chapters to go...would you like them now or shall I keep posting them one at a time?**

**Thanks again for the reviews/follows/favourites x**


	43. Chapter 43

**A/N: Well, some of you wanted updates now and some of you wanted it spread out so I've compromised: an update now and the last chapter tomorrow :)**

"I wonder how long this will last," Jessica commented as she lay on the grass in the afternoon sun, staring up at the sky.

"Does it matter?" Jason asked, turning his head to look at her.

Jessica shrugged a shoulder, "I don't know," she said, shifting so that she was lying on her side, "does it?" she asked, keeping her eyes averted.

Jason reached out to lift her chin so that she was looking at him, "Not to me," he told her seriously, "day or night, you're still Jessica."

She smiled at him, "You always know exactly what to say," she said, smiling down at him.

Jason propped himself up on his elbows, "Must be my natural charm," he said with a grin.

Jessica giggled and pecked him lightly on the lips, "Yes, that must be it," she agreed. She caught something out of the corner of her eye and looked over towards the forest where she could just make out Eric, Pam and Molly having a serious conversation.

She froze as she realised what it meant.

"What's the matter?" Jason asked, sitting up and following her gaze.

"I'll be right back," she said absently, taking off at vampire speed.

"Ok," Jason said lamely as he watched her go.

Jessica stopped just outside the tree line, "Are you leaving?" she demanded as the three vampires turned to looked at her in surprise, "Are you?" she repeated, sounding a little lost.

"It won't be forever," Pam said finally, taking a step towards her.

"But…" Jessica trailed off, wiping away the tears in her eyes.

"Your place is with your Maker," Pam explained quietly, coming to a stop just outside of her personal space.

Jessica bit her lip, "But what will I do without you?" she whispered.

Pam closed the distance between them, pulling the younger vampire into a tight embrace, "I will always be here for you, Cheeto," she told her, "and there's this lovely new invention called a phone," she teased, absently rubbing her back, "if you need me, I'll be there." Jessica nodded as they broke apart, "But you tell _anyone_ I said that and I'll deny it," Pam added, holding up a warning finger.

Jessica laughed a little through her tears and nodded.

"Take care of Ginger," Eric ordered, coming over to join them with Molly, "please," he added as Pam elbowed him in the ribs.

Jessica nodded again, "I will."

Eric regarded her thoughtfully for a moment, "Take care of yourself too," he said finally, causing Jessica's eyes to fill with bloody tears once more.

"It's not forever, Cheeto," Pam reminded her, reaching out to squeeze her hand, "we'll see each other again."

Molly stepped forward and gave Jessica a hug, "It's been fun," she said, stepping back, "but let's meet under better circumstances next time."

Jessica laughed and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, "Deal."

Eric gave a brief nod in her direction and, taking Pam's hand, took flight; leaving Molly and Jessica looking at each other awkwardly.

"So…I'll just, um, be going," Molly said finally, breaking the awkward silence as she started to back away.

"Sure," Jessica said, giving her a small wave as she started back towards Jason, "take care."

Both vampires jumped as Eric reappeared next to them, "We really need to work on your flying," he said, scooping Molly up in his arms before she could protest.

"I guess _this_ is good bye," Molly said drily, giving Jessica a brief wave before Eric took flight and they were gone.

Jessica shielded her eyes as she watched them go; she started a little as Jason came to join her. "Are you ok?" he asked, taking her hand.

She gave him a small smile, "I am now," she told him, leaning in to kiss him briefly on the lips. She spared one last glance in the direction the others had gone, before she allowed him to lead her back towards the house.


	44. Epilogue

**_Epilogue: _**_Six Months Later…_

"What are you watching?" Eric demanded as he entered the room where Pam and Molly were watching TV, "Don't you usually watch some sitcom at this time?" he added, joining them on the couch.

Even after all this time, Molly still rolled her eyes and pretended to gag at Eric's version of joining them: picking Pam up and replacing her on his lap.

"You guys are so gross," she commented, wrinkling her nose in mock distaste as he greeted Pam with a kiss.

Eric's response was to cuddle Pam closer and make a show of pulling saccharine faces at her. Pam laughed and pushed his face away as Molly made exaggerated gagging noises.

Eric chuckled as he settled into a more comfortable position on the couch and Pam shifted so that her head was on his shoulder. "So, what _are_ you watching?" Eric asked again, absently wrapping one arm around Pam's waist and settling the other on the back of the couch behind Molly.

"Bill wrote a book," Pam told him, turning her attention back to the interview.

"I didn't even know he could read," Eric commented, making both women snigger. "_And God Bled_?" he continued in disbelief as the book was shown on screen, "What kind of a name for a book is that?"

"It's a _New York Times_ bestseller," Molly reminded him, smirking as he pulled a face.

"Oo…_William_ Compton," Eric mocked as the camera panned to Bill.

Silence descended as the three vampires continued to watch the interview, Molly was the first to break it: "Do you think they will find a cure for Hepatitis V?" she asked quietly.

Eric shrugged a shoulder, "I don't know," he turned to face her, "but whatever happens, I will keep you safe," he promised, he looked at Pam and tightened his hold on her, "both of you."

Molly gave him a small smile as she shifted so that she was leaning against his other shoulder, "I trust you," she said finally, snuggling in a little closer.

Eric half-smiled and moved his arm from the back of the couch to rest loosely about her shoulders, "I love you both," he said after a long moment, "but do we have to keep watching this shit?"

Molly giggled as she changed the channel and the three vampires settled down to watch TV; content to forget about the trouble brewing and to be in each other's presence.

...

**A/N: Well, that's all folks! Not really sure what to do with myself now...if you have any story ideas/prompts please let me know :) Thank you so much for all your support while I was writing this, it was heaps of fun and I'm so glad that you enjoyed it! x**

**(And, yes, Molly is the teenaged daughter they never had...haha)**


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